Harry Potter and The Quidditch Camp
by Cat97Hermione
Summary: Something as simple and normal as an international Quidditch Camp can really turn your life upside-down- something that Harry Potter is about to find out, first-hand. New friends, skills, interests... and a possible girlfriend? What is this? Meanwhile, a war is brewing and sides must be chosen, and friendships will be tested.
1. Fire Griffins

_**Fire Griffins**_

Harry was angry. No, he was furious. He thought over everything that had happened over the years at Hogwarts. First year, the most powerful wizard in the world fails to notice that one of his teachers was possessed by the darkest wizard of the time, while storing and incredible valuable and dangerous thing in the same castle! Then, the protections on it were weak enough for three 11 year olds to pass them! That was irresponsible enough. Second year, the same man _failed _to notice that a giant (and ancient) _Basilisk _was loose in his castle petrifying his students… and the same three (now 12 year old) students not only work out what it is, but kill it! 3rd year, he was forced to use a Patronus charm twice while on the grounds, and attacked by Dementors three times! That was the tamest year. The last year to date, his fourth year, Dumbledore has somehow failed to prevent a Death Eater in disguise from entering his name into a dangerous and deadly tournament designed for students that were of age… not 14 year olds. The man had also failed to pull him out of the tournament, instead making him face dragons, merpeople, a sphinx and many other extremely dangerous creatures- to end up being somehow transported to a graveyard to watch his mortal enemy be reborn and kill the boy who was there by coincidence. Yet _still, _the man refused to tell him _why _Voldemort was trying so hard to kill him. It was infuriating! He knew that Dumbledore had made some major mistakes and had a lot to answer for… and Harry was not going to trust him until he atoned. His thoughts then turned to his friends. Were they his friends? Harry had noticed them giving him some strange looks over the years, like they didn't want to be around him. Then, Ron had abandoned him over petty jealousy- because Harry was being forced to participate in a tournament well above his skill level! Hermione had gone with Ron even though she didn't agree with him. Harry held himself back in classes so he didn't offend Hermione as he knew she would hate to be beaten- and Ron, who Harry sometimes wondered if he even _had _a brain that could be used for anything other than chess and Quidditch strategy, was jealous if Harry beat him in class too often, so Harry held himself back even more. _Is that what real friends do for each other? _Somehow, Harry didn't think so. He decided then and there that he wasn't going to put up with it this year. He was his own person and he wasn't going to hold himself back in class to please his friends. He was sick of pretending he couldn't do spells, of purposely adding the wrong ingredients- or amount to his potions, of rewriting essays over and over again so that they didn't look to intelligent. He was sick of Ron's jealousy and Hermione always believing that she knew better than anyone- she had only been in the wizarding world for just over 4 years! No. Harry was going to perform at his full potential and Ron and Hermione could either accept that, or he could find new friends. Neville was always nice to him…

His thoughts turned again, this time to Cedric. At first, he had blamed himself, but his parents had soon knocked that thought from his head. The guilt was gone, but he was still filled with grief when he thought of him. Cedric hadn't deserved to die; he was only killed for being in the way… because Voldemort was a ruthless killing machine that didn't deserve to be called human. Harry remembered what the centaurs had said in his first year; _Always the innocent are the first victims… so it has been for the last age, so it is now…_ at the time, he had thought they were referring to the unicorns, but… _had they known Cedric was going to die? _It was possible. They claimed to see the _ebb and flow of war; of good and evil_. Surely they had seen this war coming, and that an innocent would die first. Harry shuddered and realised that he was definitely going to need to improve this year as Voldemort was clearly trying to kill him, and he wasn't going to wait for Harry to be ready. He shivered again before a huge wave of anger rose in him. _Voldemort. _He was the reason for all of this. The reason that he was an orphan… Neville's parents didn't recognise him… Cedric was dead… Susan Bones lived with her Aunt… Molly Weasley had no brothers… so many people had their lives ripped apart for good. Harry growled softly. He _knew _now, that he was going to kill Voldemort. That… thing… was not going to stop until he died, and he knew that he wanted to survive this war. The only way that was going to be possible would be to kill the murderer. Almost as soon as he had that thought, bile rose in his throat. He was contemplating _killing _someone. _No, _he thought, _Voldemort is not a 'someone,' he is a ruthless killing machine that needs to be stopped. No one will think any les of Voldemort's murderer._ Harry vowed to himself that Voldemort would die… but he wasn't going to put his life on hold. There was a chance that he wouldn't survive the war, and he needed to _live _before he could die. He then remembered that the Wizarding World didn't even _believe _him. They all thought that Voldemort was dead. He shivered again, knowing that the longer they denied it, the stronger they allowed the creature to get. Harry went to sleep that night recalling every spell he had learnt… including _Wingardium Leviosa. _Who knew? He might be duelling on the edge of a cliff. Once he had gone through them all, his thoughts became dreams and his mind went from spells to Quidditch… he fell asleep with a slight smile on his face.

The next morning, Harry woke to an incessant tapping on his window. He grumbled to himself, moaning that it was too early to get up before he looked out the window and saw a large black owl tapping wearily on the window. It was obvious the owl had flown a long way. Curious, Harry went to the window and opened it, but was wary of the letter. He detached it carefully and let the owl rest in Hedwig's cage to have a drink and turned his attention to the letter. It was addressed to Harry Potter- nothing else. He stared at the handwriting, but was unable to recognise it before he flipped it over. His heart leapt at the crest. Many people at Hogwarts longed to receive a letter with it on it. Harry almost laughed- he was almost certain that the letter was safe. He broke the seal hastily and ripped the letter out. He quickly read the letter and a huge grin spread over his face. The summer was about to get interesting.

_Dear Mister Potter,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been invited to attend our Summer Camp._

_As you have no doubt realised, we at the American Camp for Quidditch Prodigies_

_invite talented amateur Quidditch players to attend over the course of a summer to learn new_

_Quidditch skills along with magic- as it is important to have a fall-back plan!_

_If you would like to attend, this letter is a portkey that will drop you off at Camp. We are_

_expecting you in approximately 5 hours upon receiving this letter._

_If you decline, just ignore the letter- although we sincerely hope that you decide that attendance is worthwhile, as we rarely invite students from the UK._

_An equipment list is enclosed._

_Sincerely,_

_American Camp for Quidditch Prodigies._

Harry's grin looked as though it was about to split his face in half. _There is no way that I'm going to miss this, _he though happily, ignoring the small voice announcing that Ron would be jealous. He had already made a decision about Ron's jealousy issue the night before and he was sticking to it. He pulled the second sheet of parchment out.

_American Camp for Quidditch Prodigies_

_Seeker Equipment List;_

_Practice Snitch_

_Broom (preferably a Nimbus 2002 or a Firebolt)_

_Quidditch Through the Ages_

_Cauldron_

_Potions Ingredients_

_Wand_

_Quidditch robes_

_casual clothing_

_glass of crystal phials_

_brass scales_

_**OPTIONAL**_

_sword (required if taking sword fighting elective)_

_familiar_

Harry glanced at his watch and realised that 5 minutes had already passed- and he didn't own the necessary equipment. He grabbed a piece of ripped parchment out of his trunk and a pencil that had been thrown in the room by Dudley years ago. He scribbled a note to Dumbledore. saying that he was leaving for the summer and would be back for the start of school. He gave it to Hedwig, telling her to wait 6 hours or so before she took the note to Dumbledore. He quickly threw the few things that had come out of his trunk back in, thanking the fact they had only left Hogwarts the daw before and tapped it with his wand, thanking the Weasley twins for their present. When he had given him the Triwizard money, they had decided to charm it so that when he tapped the trunk with his wand, it would shrink to the size he was picturing, and it wasn't registered as doing magic. He stuck his wand, money bag and trunk in his back pocket before racing down to the street where he summoned the knight bus, promising to pay them double if they got him to the Leaky Cauldron as fast as possible... and didn't mention having him on the bus to _anyone. _They agreed, and within 15minutes of receiving the letter, Harry was giving Stan 22 sickles as he jumped of the bus and raced into the back room of the bar. He tapped the bricks and raced through the alley thanking the Camp for sending it so early- there was hardly anyone around to spot an out of breath Harry Potter racing through the Alley at a quarter past 5 in the morning. He raced up the Gringotts steps, knowing that none of the other stores would open for almost an hour. He told the goblins his name, and to his surprise, they asked him which vault he wanted to enter.

"I only have one, though," he said slowly. Griphook smirked at him.

"The Potter family is one of our wealthiest clients, with only the Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, Emrys and Black vaults having more. Which, now I come to think of it, you could possibly claim them if you did the inheritance test. Anyway, you have three vaults currently. The one you have already visited is your trust vault; you then have the family vault and the one belonging to your father."

"Errr… can I combine them all and visit the combined vault?"

"Certainly." Griphook called for another goblin and asked him to combine the Potter vaults while they went and did the inheritance test. Griphook summoned a piece of parchment and a knife, before instructing Harry to prick his finger and smear the blood on the parchment. Harry did so nervously before handing the parchment back to the goblin, who looked at it closely, his eyes bugging out slightly.

"Well, Mr. Potter, it appears that you actually hold claim to _all _of the vaults that I mentioned earlier… well… I will give you the heir rings which you can put on _at a later time_ as they put you to sleep for 7 hours after they are all on your finger." Harry gasped, shocked, before nervously accepting a stack of 7 small boxes. A goblin then walked into the room and announced that the Potter vaults were combined. Harry then realised that it was now 5:30 and was suddenly feeling as if the Gringotts carts should go faster.

"Griphook," he said slowly, "you once said that the carts are one speed only…" The goblin grinned and pulled a lever- suddenly the cart was going at twice the speed and Harry grinned. Within 10 minutes the cart was pulling to a stop outside of vault number 7. Harry followed Griphook out of the cart and they walked up to the door. Griphook stroked it and the door seemed to melt away. Harry gasped. Inside was a massive cavern. In one corner, there was huge mountains of gold- a lot more that had been in his trust vault, but that was only a small portion of the vault. There was jewels, books, potions equipment, weapons, furniture, scrolls- anything Harry tried to name was there. He walked over to the trunks and quickly noticed one that had 2 compartments- with extra hidden ones as well, and the same charm that the twins had put on his old one. Harry picked it up and placed his still shrunken trunk into one of the compartments, along with the 7 boxes with heir rings in them. He walked around the vault as quickly as he could, stopping once in a while to look at things, realising that he could get most of his things from the vault, making his life much easier. He collected scales, phials and a cauldron as well as potions ingredients, thanking the stasis charm. Quidditch Through the Ages was in the book section. He decided to buy a practice snitch as he wanted a fast one and they were made faster every year- he could get a professional level one! Robes were better bought as well. He walked up and down in front of the swords, trying to decide which one to get when he saw instructions- _instructions _on the wall. It told the person seeking a weapon to close their eyes and use their magic to find the right one. Harry did as instructed and very soon felt a strong 'pull' from several of the weapons. The sword was beautiful. It looked almost identical to Gryffindor's sword except the rubies were emeralds. When he picked it up, he felt his magic link with it and his name appeared on it where Gryffindor's had been on that sword. Harry smiled at it. it was _his, _and something told him that he could never lose it as it would come on command. He turned his attention to the other 'weapons' and noticed that the 'pull' was also coming from a pair of daggers- and a staff. He picked up the daggers and felt the same magic connection with them, before he turned his attention to the staff. He looked at it before nervously holding his hand out towards it. The staff jumped into his hand and Harry felt amazing! It was the same feeling as when he found his wand- but magnified. Sparks began to fly from it and he felt his magic link with it as well. It would obey his command. Harry watched in amazement as the staff shrunk itself to be the perfect size for him- then; on command, shrunk to the size of a wand. He noticed a slip of parchment that had been beside it and added it to the trunk along with his new weapons. Harry turned to leave the vault before he felt something else tug at his magic. It was beside the door, explaining why he hadn't seen it earlier- a large red and gold egg. He had no idea what it was, but felt as though it couldn't be left in the vault, so he picked it up carefully and placed it in the trunk before shrinking it. He then exited and enjoyed the wild, 10 minute ride to the surface of the vault. He thanked Griphook before stepping out into the 7am sunshine. He had 3 hours remaining. Harry raced towards Madam Malkin's and stepped inside. The assistant spotted him almost immediately.

"Uh… hi," he said shyly, "I need to buy some Quidditch robes… actually, I need to buy a whole new wardrobe, but I don't have that much time. The Quidditch robes are the most important, though. Can you do that, please?"

"Of course! We can do that in under an hour, actually," she said cheerfully.

"Great!" said Harry happily.

"So… what colours? We can also add a growth charm for an extra sickle each if you're planning on growing much in the next few years."

"Ummm… I have bad taste in clothing, to tell you the truth, so I'll leave that up to you… and the growth charms would be brilliant!"

"Alright, stand up here so I can get your measurements," she said and Harry subjected himself to the assistant's torture that most people called shopping for clothes.

Just under 45 minutes later, Harry left the store with 5 pairs of Quidditch robes in various bright colours, including Gryffindor red and gold. He had 2 pairs of duelling robes- dark blue and black, casual robes in red, blue, green, gold, grey and black- potions robes, dress and formal robes and some more robes for school as he had outgrown his old ones. He got several winter cloaks- a black one for school as well as a few others. He bought a few more pairs of dragonhide boots and gloves. He very quickly discovered that Madam Malkin's also sold muggle clothing, and so had also collected jeans, t-shirts, tracksuit pants, shorts, singlets, socks and underwear, swimming trunks, pyjamas, jackets and the like. He put them all in his trunk and left the shop 201 galleons poorer- though his moneybag weighed the same and Harry thanked Griphook for his suggestion of linking the bag to his vault ensuring that he drew directly from there instead of having to continuously stop at Gringotts for moneybag refills. It was then a quarter to 8, so Harry rushed into Quality Quidditch Supplies. He grabbed a top of the range practice snitch, and then- remembering the Whomping Willow incident in his 3rd year, bought a second Firebolt hoping he wouldn't ever have to use it. He spent a few minutes browsing the store as he had everything he needed and selected a few Quidditch posters featuring both his team- the Appleby Arrows- and the team that had accepted Oliver Wood, Puddlemere United. Some new seeker gloves and he was done. He stood in the Alley for a minute deciding where he was going to go next when he remembered his desire to not hold back any longer- and moved towards Flourish and Blotts. There, Harry picked up several books on Defence, Potions, Charms, Transfiguration, Care of Magical Creatures and History. He decided that Divination was a waste of time at school, so decided to learn about Hermione's favourite subject- Arithmancy, and her other (less liked) elective- Ancient Runes, and picked up books on both of them. It was then that Harry realised he knew almost nothing about the wizarding world, so he picked up many books on culture and status, realising that being a Potter meant a lot. On his way to the counter, he spotted a book on staffs and books on other weapons- then one that made him slightly angry; _A Muggleborn's Guide to the Wizarding World by Professor Burbage. _He picked it up, annoyed that it wasn't on the list of books for first years- or _recommended _for those that grew up with Muggles. Even Hagrid could have pointed it out to him. He remembered from 3rd year that Professor Burbage was the Muggle Studies professor, so the book was not all that likely to be biased. He dropped his pile of over 50 books on the counter and paid for them before putting them back in his trunk. It was 8:30, and Harry was tired. He went into a side alley and pulled out his staff, thinking… It couldn't possibly have the Trace on it, so surely he could do magic with it and not be detected… He opened his trunk and thought about the compartments. The two visible were general storage compartments. There was also 5 hidden ones. one was for potions supplies. There was one for weapons. Two of the compartments were a library and wardrobe respectively- there was one with a bedroom (already furnished) in it! There was also an empty compartment. He thought about it for a while, before he decided what it was going to be. Harry placed a stasis charm over the entire compartment sing the staff (shrunken down to wand-size) before he wandered over to the wizarding supermarket and stocked up on everything he thought that he would need from there- to last him a long time. He made sure that his trunk was organised, and by then he only had an hour left- and he knew how to spend it. Harry went to a shop that was hidden beside the back- the oculist. He had already proven that glasses were bad for Quidditch.

"Can I help you?" The owner was on him almost immediately. Harry looked up at the fit, middle aged man and smiled at him.

"I would like to get rid of these glasses, but I don't know what to replace them with," he said, waving the aforementioned glasses around in front of him.

"I have potions that can fix your eyesight if you like, but I need to do some tests first," he said, "so if you would like, I'll ask you to sit down and close your eyes." Harry nodded and did as he was told, trusting the man. He felt the wand tip press against each of his eyelids and felt a spell hit each of them- but it didn't seem to do anything.

"You can open your eyes now, Harry." Harry jumped, and groaned internally. The man had recognised him.

"When was the last time you had your eyes checked? Wait, don't answer that, I don't think I want to know. These glasses have been making your eyesight steadily worse for years and they are not suited for you. Good news for you is we have a potion that can fix your eyesight- only just, though. Any worse and I wouldn't have been able to use it. If you had waited even 6 months, you wouldn't be getting this potion," he said softly. Harry gulped, and nodded. The man went to the back of the store and came back holding a phial of emerald green potion. Harry shivered and accepted it. He drank it down, gagging at the taste before he felt his eyes start to sting. He quickly shut them and felt a burning sensation go through them. After a while, the pain subsided and then was gone. He slowly opened his eyes and gasped. Everything was so _clear! _He couldn't remember the last time he had seen everything in such clarity. He thanked the man profusely and handed over his money before walking back out into the Alley with a new appreciation for its beauty. He walked around the alley for the next half an hour drinking in the sights and new colours before he pulled out the parchment. It was 10am. He stared at it for a few seconds, wondering what he was supposed to do before he felt a hook behind his navel. Panicking, he just managed to grab onto his trunk before he disappeared in a swirl of sound and colour. He felt himself being pulled along further than he had ever travelled by portkey. Harry landed as ungracefully as usual in a corner of a small hall. As he watched, almost 50 people his age and older landed around him. He looked around. The first thing he spotted was a window- it was pitch black outside. He realised that he had forgotten about the time differences between London and America. Everyone else was looking around awkwardly and Harry realised that no one had friends come with them. After about a minute, a tired-looking man came into the hall. The first thought that came into his head was _that man's a beater. _

"Welcome to Quidditch Camp! You are currently in Hawaii- yes, Hawaii. It is currently… 11pm and for the person who came from London, yes you have gone back a day. We're going to use a spell to make you all feel as though you're tired from a long day so you don't all suffer from jet-lag, but first; there are exactly 50 of you all… and one of me. Thankfully, there are other Professors here as well. We've split you all up into teams, and you will sleep, eat, train and learn magic with your team- as well as anything else. 49 of you are Quidditch players, and one of you is an announcer- you will have your own room wherever you are, but will have lessons with the team in dorm 7. Youngest player here is almost 15-" Harry blushed at that- "while the eldest people here are around 21, so there isn't much of an age difference. Teams are based on age as you will learn magic together as well, but I guarantee you- age is no indicator of skill. We have the youngest seeker in a century here this year, and the youngest chaser in half a century as well. So please don't underestimate the team in dorm one, which is Lachlan Jones! Lily Taylor! Rose Taylor! James Martinez! Rachael Moore! Catherine Smith! Harry Potter! Team 1- you can decide your own name, you're dorm 1, which is the red door over there- red is your team colour. you guys can go, we'll come 'round in half an hour to place the spell on you, and breakfast is at 7am in here tomorrow morning. There's some parchment and forms in there that you need to read tonight, but you won't need instructions… I hope." Harry picked up his trunk and quickly shrunk it before walking over to the red door. He was glad that no one made a fuss over his name. Harry was the first to get to the dorm, so he opened the door. Inside was very simple. There was seven 4 poster beds with red hangings and a door labelled 'bathroom.' There was space for everyone to place their trunk and desks on one side of the room. Harry stood in the middle of the room and waited for the rest of the team to arrive. They didn't take long. Harry noticed that he was the shortest by a long way. Everyone was tall, thin and muscular- obvious Quidditch players.

"Hi, I'm Catherine Smith, I'm 15 and I play chaser," said a tall blonde girl.

"James Martinez, I play chaser as well, and I'm also 15," a darker skinned boy said.

"Lily Taylor, Beater-"

"Hey! Rose Taylor, Beater-"

"We're 15 as well!" two brunette girls- obviously twins piped up.

"Lachlan Jones, I just turned 16 a few days ago, and I play keeper," said the tallest person in the room. Harry had already guessed his position when he walked in the room, and was glad to be proven right. He cleared his throat.

"I'm Harry Potter; I'm 14 and I-"

"Play seeker!" the twins piped up.

"Yeah," Harry agreed and the team laughed, making him relax a little.

"My name's Rachael Moore, I'm 14 as well, and I play chaser- which you all knew already," said the last girl shyly. Harry looked over at her and was amazed. She had shiny dark hair just past her shoulders and clear blue eyes that- although she was shy at the moment, still sparkled with mischief. Harry smiled at her.

"There's parchment over here!" piped up Lily.

"It's got writing on it," added Rose.

"It says that we have to choose a name-"

"and a captain!" They all looked at each other.

"We normally make the seeker captain 'cause it's easier for them to fly around and talk to the other team members- their only moment of play is going for the snitch so they're in a better position to observe our game. Better them than have a beater fly away from a bludger to talk to the keeper- or the keeper leaving the rings, or a chaser deserting the quaffle- nothing against seekers, of course. They're usually faster than the other players as well, which is an advantage. Plus, no one can really train with them, so they're not letting others down when they lead training," said Lachlan.

"That makes sense," said Catherine, "and now that I think of it, our captains are usually seekers."

"Sounds good to us! Doesn't make sense to choose between twins for the position, anyway," said the twins. Rachel and James both voiced their agreement.

"Errr… thanks! You all realise that you just made the youngest player captain don't you?"

"The guy outside said not to worry about age!" said Lily cheerfully.

"Ok," said Harry, "but I might be terrible at this."

"You might be brilliant!" said Rose equally cheerfully.

"Thanks. Err… we need a name as well," said Harry, "probably one that relates to red as well, like phoenix or griffin or something. Fire."

"Animals are fine with me," said James.

"Fire Griffins," said Catherine.

"Cool! Fire Griffins!" cheered the twins.

"Fine by me," said Lachlan, "although it's a cop-out- basically Harry's suggestion."

"I like it," said Rachael.

"Ok, hi Fire Griffins! Who wants first pick of the beds? I'll go last," said Harry. Lily and Rose quickly grabbed the beds nearest the door, followed by James, then Lachlan and Catherine. Rachael picked hers, leaving Harry with the one in between the two female chasers. Harry un-shrunk his trunk and placed it at the foot of the bed before he pulled back the hangings to spot another slip of parchment.

_Subjects taken at the American Camp for Quidditch Prodigies_

_Compulsory Subjects;_

_Ancient Runes- Professor Arkwright_

_Arithmancy- Professor Idoni_

_Broom Crafting- Professor Smith_

_Charms- Professor Alvey_

_Mind Arts- Professor Brown_

_Potions- Professor Brauer_

_Quidditch- Professor Hooch_

_Transfiguration- Professor McGonagall_

_Trick Flying- Professor Barone_

_Elective Subjects;_

_You may pick as many as you like, but 5 or less is the recommended amount._

_Care of Magical Creatures- Professor Bagley_

_Divination- Professor Devinson_

_Duelling- Professor Black_

_Herbology- Professor Warren_

_Magical History- Professor Wakahisa_

_Sword Fighting- Professor Kardos_

_Transportation- Professor Arterberry_

_Wandless Magic- Professor Guillory_

_Wizarding Culture- Professor Ayers_

_Name: HARRY JAMES POTTER_

_Please mark the box next to each elective you wish to take, and then draw a line through the word done at the bottom of the page when you are finished._

_DONE_

Harry stared at the list for a while, before finally making his decision. He marked the boxes next to Duelling, Sword Fighting, Transportation, Wandless Magic and Wizarding Culture before crossing out the word DONE. The parchment, quill and ink disappeared just as the man walked in.

"I'm going to cast the spell now, you'll all feel as if it's 11 thirty at night- which it is! Breakfast is at 7, so I suggest you all get some sleep today. Hopefully you've all sent in your elective choices so that we can hand out your timetables tomorrow! Mutarius Tempus! Goodnight, dorm 1."

"We're the Fire Griffins," said Rose sleepily. The man chuckled.

"Goodnight, _Fire Griffins."_ Harry watched the door shut before falling asleep straight away, without bothering to get changed. The spell worked.

The next morning, Harry was woken by an overly excited voice that he recognised as one of the twins. He groaned.

"Tempus," he said, forgetting that he needed a wand. 5:24am flashed up in front of him. He groaned again.

"Lily! Rose! Whoever it is- Taylor! How can you be so cheerful, it's so early," he grumbled. He heard groans of acknowledgement, meaning that the rest of the team had been woken by a hyperactive twin.

"It's Lily! And it's not too early! If everyone gets up now, we won't look sleepy in front of the rest of the teams. Besides, WE'RE AT QUIDDITCH CAMP! Get excited already. It's only the most renowned and prestigious Quidditch Camp for amateurs _in the world!"_

"Fine, fine, you've made your point; I'm up," said Harry, getting up slowly, "who wants a shower?"

"You have one, Harry, the rest of us are still asleep," groaned Catherine.

"Alright, then," he said, before pulling jeans and a t shirt out of his trunk and heading to the bathroom. It reminded him of the Prefect's bathroom at Hogwarts, except for a shower in the corner of the room as well. He dumped his clothes and got in. 5 minutes later, he was feeling significantly more awake and he got changed into his fresh clothes, leaving his hair wet.

"I'm out, who's next?" he said cheerfully.

"Not another cheerful one!"

"It's the shower, James, blame it on the shower." Harry walked over to his trunk and pulled out the first book that caught his eye- the one for Muggleborns, which held his attention until 5 to 7, when the man- Professor Barone came in to announce breakfast. The Fire Griffins came out, and snickered when they saw how exhausted the other teams looked. The teams introduced themselves, youngest team to oldest, which meant that Harry was first.

"Chasers; Smith, Moore and Martinez! Beaters; Taylor and Taylor! Keeper; Jones, and Seeker; Potter! We're the Fire Griffins," he said, and each player stood and waved at their name.

"We're the Bumblebees; Chasers are Clark, Lee and Walker! Beaters are Myself- Young, and Lopez! Keeper is Green and Seeker, Mitchel!" Once again, each player stood and waved at their name.

"I'm Evans, a Beater and Captain of my team, the Grasshill Warriors. My teammates are; Chasers- Phillips, Campbell and Parker, the other Beater is Sanchez, Keeper is Morgan and Murphy is Seeker!"

"We're the Lions! I'm Cox- chaser. The others are Cooper and Ward- also chasers. Peterson and Ramirez are Beaters, Keeper is Brooks and Sanders is seeker."

"We're an all-female team called the Bluebelles! Chasers are Price, Bennet and Ross, Beaters; Henderson and Coleman, Keeper; Jenkins, and I'm the Seeker and Captain Powell!"

"Badgering Badgers! Chasers; Patterson, Flores and Gonzales, Beaters; Myself- Griffin and Hamilton, Keeper; Sullivan and Seeker; Cole!"

"Our Chasers are Owens, Reynolds and Gibbson, Beaters are Cruz and Crawford, I'm the Keeper, Lopez, and our seeker is Robertson. We're the oldest team, the Silver Dragons! Also, the announcer stays in out dorm. Tayla Hawkins!" By the end, everyone was snickering at the ridiculous team names before breakfast appeared on the table in a similar fashion to Hogwarts. The teams cheered and began to eat with gusto while the few Professors in the hall attempted to hand the timetables out to students they didn't recognise. Harry soon got his;

_**Monday**_

_5-6 Broom Crafting_

_6- Breakfast_

_6.30-8 Trick Flying_

_8-11 Quidditch_

_11-12 Ancient Runes_

_12-1 Lunch_

_1-2 Arithmancy_

_2-5 Trick Flying_

_5-6 Broom Crafting_

_7- Dinner_

_**Tuesday**_

_5-6 Broom Crafting_

_6- Breakfast_

_6.30-8 Trick Flying_

_8-11 Quidditch_

_11-12 Potions_

_12- Lunch_

_1-2 Transfiguration_

_2-5 Quidditch_

_5-6 Broom Crafting_

_7- Dinner_

_**Wednesday**_

_5-6 Broom Crafting_

_6 Breakfast_

_6.30-8 Trick Flying_

_8-11 Quidditch_

_11-12 Charms_

_12 Lunch_

_1-2 Mind arts_

_2-5 Trick Flying_

_5-6 broom crafting_

_7 Dinner_

_**Thursday**_

_5-6 Broom Crafting_

_6 Breakfast_

_6.30-8 Trick Flying_

_8-11 Quidditch _

_11-12 Duelling_

_12 Lunch_

_1-2 Sword Fighting_

_2-5 Quidditch_

_5-6 Broom Crafting_

_7 Dinner_

_**Friday**_

_5-6 Broom Crafting_

_6 Breakfast_

_6.30-8 Trick Flying_

_8-11 Quidditch_

_11-12 Transportation_

_12 Lunch_

_1-2 Wandless Magic_

_2-5 Trick Flying_

_5-6 Broom Crafting_

_7 Dinner_

_**Saturday**_

_5-6 Broom Crafting_

_6 Breakfast_

_6.30-8 Trick Flying_

_8-9 Wizarding Culture_

_9-12 Quidditch_

_12 Lunch_

_7 Dinner_

_8- Sword-fighting Competition_

_**Sunday**_

_7 Breakfast_

_8-12 Quidditch Competition_

_12 Lunch_

_1-5 Quidditch Competition_

_5-7 Optional Referee Course_

_7- Dinner_

_8- Duelling Competition_

Harry grinned. It was a good schedule, and even better, today was Monday! Because they had only arrived at camp the day before, they were starting courses at 8, meaning the first class for the Fire Griffins was Quidditch… for 3 hours! At 8 o'clock they all raced out to the Quidditch Pitch in Quidditch robes- (they didn't have team robes yet- they would be given them on Saturday) to meet Professor Hooch, who happened to be cousins with the Flying instructor of Hogwarts. The class was great. They spent it flying around, learning how the other members of the team played and getting advice from the Professor. Harry had always known he was a good player, so it was incredible to hear the amount of suggestions she could make! It didn't hurt that she herself was a seeker. When the lesson was almost over, the team was dismissed to the changing rooms to have time to shower before their next lesson- Ancient Runes. Harry was way behind in this subject as everyone apart from Rachael had taken it before- and he was told to expect the same in Arithmancy, but with Catherine instead. Harry found, though, that the Runes were easy to pick up. Lunch was brilliant and everyone was starving from the Quidditch earlier, but soon they were in Arithmancy. Harry was stuck. It was so _complicated! _The others all seemed to know exactly what was going on. Professor Idoni was really good about it, though, and by the end of the lesson Harry and Catherine knew they had the basics down. Trick Flying and Broom Crafting finished off the day, both of which Harry was pleased to note that he was the best in both subjects- though he was being a little biased in Broom Crafting as the only way to tell was from half-finished sketches. After dinner, the Fire Griffins went back to their dorm to get to know each other a little better. Harry liked all of his team mates, but Rachael was definitely the one he liked the most. Classes continued in the same manner. Trick Flying and Quidditch were the team's two favourite classes by a long way, followed by Broom Crafting. Professor Brauer was an incredible Potions Professor, in Harry's opinion. Their first class was spent learning how ingredients reacted with each other, why and how the heat level affected potions, why different methods of cutting were more or less effective and why the direction, speed and number of stirs affected their brews, something the Professor announced _should _be taught to all students before they are shown to a cauldron. Professor McGonagall turned out to be Minerva McGonagall's nephew who was just as brilliant at transfiguration, and Harry discovered that in both his subject, and Professor Alvey's charms, he was in front of his teammates. Mind Arts was incredibly interesting, although in the first lesson they were only told what they _would _be learning- occlumency, telepathic communication and possibly Legilimency. In both Duelling and Sword Fighting, Harry was the only one in the class as the rest of the team were in either Magical History or Herbology. This gave him private lessons with the Professors Black and Kardos who were tough but Harry liked them. He learnt really quickly in their classes and enjoyed the challenge- he was told he was going to build muscle fast. Transportation was apparition, teleportation and shadow walking- the last two were almost impossible to ward against and Professor Arterberry was amusing. Wandless magic was interesting. Harry was originally in the class with Lily, Rose and Catherine, but the three girls were all told that they didn't have the required magical power to do more than a few simple charms wandlessly- so they dropped the course, leaving Harry to another private lesson with Professor Guillory. Wizarding Culture was the last elective he had chosen, and it was just him and Rachael in the class. Professor Ayers began with teaching them the social standings of the different wizarding families and how to behave around different people depending on their blood and socioeconomic status. On Saturday night, Harry entered the sword fighting competition. He won the first round against Sanchez, but his lack of experience, height and muscle saw him lose the second round to the older Lopez. Finally, Sunday came around. There were two pitches, but only one would be in use after lunch. As the youngest team, the Fire Griffins had a bye. The first round of matches was the Silver Dragons vs. the Bumblebees with Hawkins announcing on the first pitch and the Badgering Badgers vs. the Grasshill Warriors with Professor Hooch announcing on the second pitch. The Silver Dragons won in 3hours and 7minutes with a score of 110-460, while the Grasshill Warriors took 2hours and 57minutes to secure their win of 120-280. After lunch Tayla Hawkins went back to announcing the final match of the day, which was the Lions vs. the Bluebelles. They timed out at 4 hours, but the all-female team had the higher score; 320-530. After dinner, the duelling competition began, and Harry once again- entered. His first round was against John Cox, the Captain for the Lions. Harry was glad- Cox was exhausted enough to give Harry an easy victory in just under 10 minutes. He won the second round as well against Sandy Young from the Bumblebees, but was beaten in round three by the Badgering Badgers captain Louise Griffin.


	2. Golden FlameWolf

_**Golden Flame-Wolf**_

After the first week at Camp, the Fire Griffins were relaxing around the small lake. It was quite late, but none of the team members really minded. One of the good things about the teams spending all their time together was they got to know each other really well… exceptionally quickly. Tonight, they were talking about their first years at magical schools.

"At my school, we start when we turn 8, but we weren't allowed to get wands until we were in 3rd grade. We did things like potions and Herbology, history and some muggle subjects until then," said Rachael.

"That's cool! I wish Hogwarts did that, the first time Muggleborns hear of magic is when they're told to buy a wand at 11. People raised by muggles aren't told anything- they just have to go with it, not really understanding anything or search for answers about culture themselves, but books on that subject are usually really biased," said Harry.

"At least it gives students a reason to talk to others, Harry," said Rachael, "at my school, everyone is told what to expect beforehand so no one goes to other students asking for advice- many people have no friends at school because it's almost like a; 'you're here to learn, not make friends' attitude."

"That's terrible! So you don't have many friends?" Catherine was being unusually blunt.

"I have _no _friends," said Rachael sadly, "you guys are the first people my age that have spoken to me in a _nice _way, with no derogatory comments," she sniffed.

"That's really sad. My school has days before you start where the only thing you were expected to do is get to know the other students," said Lachlan in his Australian accent, "they call them orientation days. Older students are assigned a group of like 5 new students and they do activities so that everyone gets to know each other. It makes people less nervous about starting school."

"I think that's why we go to school on a train- 7 hours is a long time to get to know the people in your carriage. The only problem is that it's not supervised, so some of the Slytherins think that it's their job to terrorise the new muggleborn students."

"Hey, Harry?"

"Yeah, Rach?"

"My parents are letting me transfer schools this year 'cause I'm bullied at my old one. More specifically; they're letting me transfer to _Hogwarts!"_

"Rach, that's brilliant! I hope you're in Gryffindor, I really need to work on my friend problems and it'd be great if you're there!"

"I'm glad you're happy," she said cheerfully, "but what do you mean, you need to work on your friend problems?"

"Errr… well, I had two friends, Ron and Hermione, but I don't think they actually _are _my friends. Ron gets jealous over every little thing and was willing to dump our whole friendship last year 'cause of the tournament you asked about and Hermione never really lets me perform to the best of my abilities in class. She gets really mad if I get better results than her in class- actually, so does Ron, so for the last four years, I've been toning down my abilities in class so that I don't have two jealous 'friends.' What sort of friend makes you do that?"

"I see what you mean."

"Yeah."

"What's a Slytherin?" asked Lily brightly.

"Huh?"

"You said the Slytherins make it their job to terrorise muggleborns," explained Rose.

"Oh. We have 4 houses at the school; Slytherin is for the cunning, Hufflepuff for the loyal, Ravenclaw for the intelligent and Gryffindor for the brave. The sorting hat looks into our minds the first day of first year and announces our house to the school. Most people have the qualities of more than one house, so it usually chooses the most dominant traits as the decider, although the hat can be bullied into giving another decision."

"People change, though."

"I know, but trust me; living in a house full of brave, reckless people tends to bring that side of your personality out a little," joked Harry.

"Our school houses are decided before we get to school by the staff. When we get to school they tell us. It's a random selection, nothing to do with personalities. I'm in the green house," said Rose cheerfully.

"Me too," piped up Lily.

"We go by surname- alphabetical order. Lachlan and Catherine have the same system," said James.

"We don't have houses, we're such a small school that we go in year levels only," said Rachael.

"That'd be a recipe for disaster at our school!"

"Harry, I just remembered; _How on earth did you make it into the third round of the duelling_ _competition?_ We all got knocked out first round!"

"Errr… luck?"

"Not buying it."

"Quidditch reflexes?"

"They're only good for defence."

"Practice against Voldemort a few weeks ago?"

"Right. Sorry. Didn't mean to bring that up again."

"That's alright, Lach." The conversation moved to more interesting topics (such as James' girlfriend) until about 10 minutes in, a large screech owl descended on them.

"It's for one of you guys, it's tired," observed Rachael who was the only one who lived nearby Hawaii. The owl swooped and landed in front of Harry, who went to detach the note.

"Harry, stop! It's got a tracking charm on it. When you touch it, the sender will know where you are."

"Wow, thanks Rach, Trust Dumbledore to do something like that, he wouldn't have been happy when he got Hedwig's letter," said Harry gratefully, "how'd you know, anyway?"

"I'm half-elf, remember? I can see charms."

"Right, thanks. Know how to get rid of it?"

"Obviously!" Rachael quickly disabled the charm before attaching it to a rock which she quickly banished to England. It would activate when it landed, sending search parties looking in the complete wrong area. Harry opened the letter.

_Harry,_

_It was terribly irresponsible of you to run away from the Dursley's like that. _

_You know that the blood wards are the only thing keeping you safe and with Voldemort back, your _

_safety is imperative. Get back to your relatives, Harry. I have spoken with them, and they have_

_agreed to take you back for the rest of the summer._

_Unfortunately, because of this stunt, you will be unable to visit the Weasleys as the wards need time_

_to recharge._

_Onto other news, Minerva has asked me to inform you that you have been made both Prefect and _

_Quidditch Captain of Gryffindor this year. The badge will arrive with your letter this year._

_Don't let her down. _

_As well as that, a new student, Rachael Moore will be joining your year this year. I will ask you to _

_look out for her on the train this year until she gets to Hogwarts- the carriages will be fine._

_Please come and visit me after the opening feast._

_I like cockroach clusters_

_Albus Dumbledore_

Harry growled, before adopting a more friendly expression.

"Hey, Rach, you're mentioned!"

"What? Can I see?" Harry handed over the letter. Rachael began reading and her expressions were rather amusing. She looked angry, before she suddenly squealed with delight.

"You're Quidditch Captain! That's brilliant! I'm coming to try-outs!" Harry chuckled.

"Hey, does anyone have some parchment and a quill? I might as well take advantage of having an owl here," he said.

"Sure, I do."

"Thanks."

_Dear Professor McGonagall,_

_I received a letter from the Headmaster informing me of my new responsibilities;_

_Thank you for showing so much trust in my abilities._

_I was wondering if I would be able to change some of my electives._

_Divination is not helping me at all and I have been studying Ancient Runes and Arithmancy this break- _

_They are really interesting and I would like to study them at Hogwarts this year as well._

_I am currently at the level of a 4__th__ year, but I am sure that I will be up to date by the start of term._

_I also have a Rachael Moore's elective choices, as she is with me currently._

_Rachael would like to sign up for Arithmancy, Ancient Runes and Care of Magical Creatures._

_Please tell the Headmaster that I would be more than willing to assist Rachael on the Express._

_Harry Potter_

"Gee, thanks, Harry, glad to be able to choose my own electives," said Rachael.

"Hey, you would have chosen them, anyway!"

"True, true." The conversation turned to a comfortable as the Fire Griffins watched the owl fly away over the lake with a letter rolled up and attached to her leg, with the moonlight shining a path for her. It was a beautiful night and the Fire Griffins finally tore themselves away from the sight to head for their dorms- but the night's surprises weren't over yet. 

As they reached Dorm 1, Harry noticed that his trunk was shaking as though something was trying to get out. He approached it nervously, trying to remember what was in there that would be able to create that effect when it clicked; _The egg from the Potter vaults! _Harry opened the lid apprehensively and saw the beautiful egg shaking violently, cracks appearing on the surface. He bent down and picked it up carefully before sitting on the bed and placing it on his lap while the rest of the team gathered around in excitement. The egg began to rattle even more and Harry had a strong sense of dé-jâ-vù. Finally, the egg split in half and was still. Harry stared at it for a few seconds while he found his voice. Finally, he said weakly;

"I think we found a team mascot."

"Yeah," someone agreed in the same weak voice that Harry had used.

"They- they're… well… _extinct! How?"_ The little creature in Harry's lap began to move. Harry watched it and was not expecting it to nip him finger. _Hard. _

"Ow! That hurt!"

'_I apologise, Master, but it was necessary for the bonding ritual. Now I can speak with you,'_ said a voice in his head.

"Right. Someone pinch me. I had an egg in my trunk, which just hatched to be an _extinct _golden flame-wolf, which just happens to create an old bonding ritual with me."

"Sorry, mate, but you're not dreaming."

"Sorry? Why should you be sorry? This is incredible!"

"Sure, Cath, sure."

"James!"

"What?"

"Urgh, never mind!"

"You know that you're quarrelling like an old married couple, don't you, James? Cath?" said Rose cheekily.

"Guys, just stop. _We have a golden flame-wolf in the room!_ Behave for once!" The wolf let out a chuckle that only Harry could hear.

"Errr… so how big do you get? I'm pretty sure that most flame-wolves wouldn't fit in my palm, and golden flame-wolves are legendary for being bigger than others."

'_You don't have to speak out loud, just direct your thoughts to me. To answer your question, I will grow rapidly until I reach your waist in height. This time next week, I will be the size of one of your textbooks, and will continue to grow at around that speed. It takes a year for us to reach full size.'_

"_Wow. Thanks. How do you know this, anyway? You were just born; you shouldn't know all of this! And do you have a name?"_

'_Flame-wolves know these things because our parent's knowledge is passed onto us. And I do have a name; I usually go by Adal, short for Adalwolf.'_

"_Cool, thanks Adal!"_

"Harry?"

"Oh, right. His name is Adalwolf, but goes by Adal. In a year, he'll be up to my waist! Also, they have the knowledge of their parents when they are born, which is why he knows all of this." 

"You know that Adalwolf means 'noble-wolf,' right?"

"Right."

"You know, you really need to find out what Adal can do. There are a lot of myths surrounding them, but nobody knows the truth."

"_Adal?"_

"_Fine, we, like the phoenix, are reborn from our own ashes, though we do not have regular burning days. We are incredibly fast and strong, and can teleport via flame, as phoenixes do. Actually, the phoenix is cousins with the flame-wolf. Also, when we bond with a human- which is rare- we give them some of our strengths- I am sure that you will notice tomorrow, although it won't be incredibly obvious. You will just be a little faster and stronger, and flame will be easier for you to control. Your fire-spells will be stronger, anyway. Unfortunately, when our ancestors got rid of our regular burning-days, they sacrificed the healing powers in our tears, so __**don't get hurt!**__'_

"_Wow! Thanks, Adal."_

'_No problem… Harry.'_

"Right…" and the Fire Griffins spent the time until lights-out having a conversation with the new tea mascot with Harry as translator.

The next day was interesting for Harry. He was woken at 4am by his over-excited familiar. When he got up, the first thing he noticed was that his muscles had grown a little overnight and were now aching- and he was taller. Not by much, but it was still noticeable. Harry smiled, before getting his robes for the morning and heading for the shower. By the time he was done, The others were all awake- Rachael was completely ready!

"Hey, guys!" said Harry cheerfully, feeling much more awake after his shower, though his hair was beginning to annoy him as he had decided to grow it long- it was currently dangling into his eyes, and being wet, felt rather spiky.

"Wow, Adal really did make a difference."

"Really? You just had to point that out, didn't you? Anyway, Broom crafting now. What's the bet that we'll have to keep refining our drawings?"

"More than likely," groaned James.

"James! The drawings are important! Not that I enjoy them…" said Catherine. Broom crafting went quickly, and to no one's surprise, they continued to work on the sketches. Breakfast was extravagant as usual.

"What've we got next?"

"Trick Flying, then Quidditch."

"Trick Flying!"

"Yep! Now let's _go!_ Professor Barone doesn't like it when we're late!"

"Hey! What are you looking at me for? It was Lachlan's fault!"

"Sure, James, Sure, that's why Lach was sitting in the class _alone _for the first 10 minutes while you were off doing heaven knows what."

"Fine, no need to state the obvious."

"What? You were just blaming Lach!"

"I know!"

"You're hopeless."

"James, Cath! just ask each other out, already, your arguing is driving everyone insane! What are we doing today, anyway?" said Lachlan, irritated. Harry brightened.

"Diving! Professor Barone said that we'd be working on our dives today," said Harry cheerfully.

"Great, time to be outshined by the amazing seeker," groaned Lachlan.

"Hey! Just because _you _can't dive to save anything _doesn't _mean they're bad! It means that it's even more important that we get there _early _so that we have _even more _time to practice!"

"You just want to perfect your wronski feint."

"So?"

"Fine, let's go!"

"Yes! Fire Griffins, we're on the pitch!" yelled Harry happily. When they arrived, (wearing their new red uniforms) Professor Barone was waiting for them.

"Good morning! Now, as I can tell from Harry's over-excited look-" the team looked over at Harry and burst out laughing at his expression-

"you have all remembered that we are going to work on your dives today. Now, from what I can remember, Rachael and Harry will be working together as the natural divers. Lily, Rose and Catherine, you'll be the intermediate group James and Lachlan, you two will be working with me first as the two that need the practice the most. Harry, you can dive from whatever height you want. You're in charge of Rachael as well- make sure she doesn't do anything too risky trying to copy you. Intermediate group, stay below the rings and pull up at least 5 metres off the ground as a safety precaution. Off you go! I'll come and work with you each separately at some point." Harry grinned at Rachael. This was going to be a fun lesson. He grabbed his Firebolt and kicked off before pointing the broom vertically towards the sky and shot off. When he felt he was at a decent height, he slowly levelled the broom and watched the speck that was Rachael slowly catch up to him. When she was level with him, he heard;

"Harry! You might be the best diver in the team, but I think you might get the record for best climber as well! That was incredible!" Harry grinned.

"You're not bad yourself, Rach!" before he turned his broom to plummet towards the ground, only pulling up when he was a metre off. He grinned again, before turning his attention to Rachael. She wasn't going to try a dive from the height they had been at, so was slowly drifting downwards until she felt comfortable- then suddenly he saw her pick up speed and he knew that she had started to dive. He watched as she streaked towards the ground at an incredible pace before- at 10 metres above the ground, she brought it smoothly vertical again.

"That was brilliant, Rach! You looked professional!"

"If that was professional, what was yours?"

"Errr…" Rachael grinned.

"Hey, that was a pretty good dive. Now just imagine what would have happened if that guy- Malfoy, I think you said- had been on your tail!" Harry got a malicious smirk.

"I think we might have just won the game!"

"So… you don't seem to need any diving practice, Harry, should we go work with our beginner divers? You're better, so you get Lach as he needs more work… plus, you're captain. I'll work with James. I think he could probably be in the intermediate group, but that would embarrass Lachlan."

"Sounds good, Rach. Bet I can get Lach diving with the intermediates by the end of the lesson!"

"Oh yeah? Well then I'll get James diving with us!"

"No way! You're on!" As it turned out, Harry _did _manage to get Lachlan diving with the intermediates as his only problem was confidence- which Harry had a lot of practice instilling in people. James was also moved into the intermediate group, causing Professor Barone to get rid of the beginner group. Rachael and Harry were still their own diving group, but that didn't matter as the Professor announced that the next Trick Flying class was going to be focused on standing up- which made Harry grin and the rest of the class to groan when they saw it.

"Why're you grinning, Harry?"

"Ah… Professor, I might have _accidentally_ stood on my broom to catch the snitch in my first game at

Hogwarts… quite exhilarating, too, I might add- Professor McGonagall flipped and lectured me on not taking unnecessary risks, but Wood was _thrilled! _Never done it since, though," said Harry cheekily.

"You're impossible. You really don't need this class, but the early mornings are good for you, so you'll stay in them. Anyway, for next lesson, wear thick clothing under your robes as a precaution. We won't fly too high above the ground, but it's good to _attempt _to be safe. Until then! Go have breakfast, Fire Griffins."

"Breakfast!" cheered the twins. The others all rolled their eyes as the two girls raced towards the hall.

"They could probably keep eating all day," complained Catherine.

"Probably," agreed Lachlan cheerfully. Rachael and Harry just shared a look.

"So who gets to run after them and tell them that we've already eaten? And that they're going to be late for Quidditch practice?"

"Bags not me, Captain has to be there on time!" said Harry quickly.

"We can't be a chaser short, oh, look! That leaves you to go on 'chase after the twins' duty. Besides, you wouldn't want _Lily _to be late, now, would you?" said Rachael slyly.

"Be quiet, you. Fine, I'll go. But we're blaming it on Professor Barone, alright?"

"Sure, Professor Hooch will _love _that explanation! Anyway, see you soon, Lach!"

"Brilliant," the keeper mumbled, before shooting off after the two specks that were the team's beaters.

As it turned out, they needn't have worried. Professor Hooch was late, so Harry sent the team on their warm-up laps around the pitch. (running) The team was on their third lap when the twins and Lachlan turned up- and Harry, the fastest today, though he suspected that Adal had something to do with it- finished his 10th and final lap just as the Professor made her way towards the pitch. Once she arrived, they continued with their usual training session- an hour of passing the quaffle around- the first half hour stationary, the second half flying random patterns. The next hour was spent with the chasers trying to score with Lachlan trying to save the goals- Lily, Rose and Harry pretended to be the opposing team. Finally, they would play with Lily and Rose hitting bludgers at the team, the chasers practicing plays while trying to score and Lachlan keeping- Harry himself would keep one eye out for the snitch while at the same time observing his teammates and yelling out observations and encouragement. Professor Hooch also critiqued their play so they had things to improve on.

Life settled into a nice pattern at camp. Harry improved in all of his classes, catching up to the others in his year level in Ancient Runes and Arithmancy, while overtaking in most other subjects. The others in his class worked hard, but there was something about always having Voldemort at the back of his mind that made Harry work even harder. Indeed- his occlumency shields were the best amongst all of the students, including the people in the Silver Dragons, although he still had a long way to go. the Fire Griffins were coming second to the Silver Dragons in the tournament, and Harry had slowly made his way to the top in the Duelling and Sword fighting tournaments- though he was still being thrashed in all of his classes against the Professors. Harry had put on muscle- he now looked toned and strong. His hair was long enough that is didn't look like a birds nest- instead, it hung in nice waves to his shoulders, though he was in the habit of tying it up. He had a dark tan that made his eyes stand out, and a combination of three, healthy meals a day and masses of exercise gave him an incredible look. Even his eyes, that had already looked amazing, seemed to sparkle even brighter. He grew closer to all of his teammates, but was rarely seen apart from Rachael Moore who he felt more strongly towards than anyone else. They had begun crafting their brooms and Harry was calling his the Golden Flame-Wolf as a reference to Adal. It wasn't anywhere near finished, but it was showing promise. One day, the Professors stood up at breakfast and made an incredible announcement.

"Everyone! Can we have your attention for a few moments, please? Thank you. Now, as you all know, the Quidditch World Cup is currently being played in America. Last year it was over in the UK and the final was Ireland vs. Bulgaria. That was an incredible match. This year, Bulgaria had made it to the final again- but instead of Ireland, America will be playing them. As I understand it, someone in this hall s even on first-name terms with the Bulgarian Seeker-" at this point, the Fire Griffins all stared at Harry who grinned sheepishly.

"-so, we had a discussion with the Ministry who has… donated… 70 tickets for the world cup to the camp! This means that tomorrow, classes are cancelled as we will be portkeying to the pitch. I might add that we will be in the top box with both Ministers, so you will all be able to see the players up close. Thank you! You can go back to eating now." The Fire Griffins grinned at each other. The World Cup! Harry smirked at the thought of seeing Krum again. The older seeker had confessed to being impressed with Harry's flying and had offered a seeking challenge when Harry '_managed to get decent coaching.'_ He wondered if Camp counted.

Lunch was another interesting meal. Apparently, the American ministry had somehow failed to find suitable pre-match entertainment, and found it highly convenient that a whole group of talented amateur Quidditch players just _happened _to have all been given free tickets, and would be extremely grateful if they would be able to put on a show. Classes were cancelled for the rest of the day as they were going to have trials to decide the 7 most talented flyers to go on pitch. They started with the oldest team- they were going to pick the best from each. The Fire Griffins were all pointedly looking at Harry, who rolled his eyes before pointing out that they all had a chance. In the back of his mind, though, he knew they were right. They watched as the Silver Dragons were put through their paces. Jack Owens was the first to drop out, followed by Stephanie Lopez, Brenda Crawford, Keith Robertson, Arthur Reynolds and Nicholas Cruz- Their star chaser, 21 year old Rebecca Gibson was the first one selected to fly at the World Cup. She was ecstatic. the Badgering Badgers were next. The Professors had them begin with a steep dive- and both Peter Hamilton and Dennis Sullivan pulled out. The moves got more and more complex until Melissa Patterson, Joshua Flores and Henry Cole pulled out. The last two flew fore ages, trying to outdo each other until finally Patric Gonzales spiralled out of control, giving the next spot to Louise Griffin. Then it was the Bluebelles and their seeker Laura Powell was the last one standing. Seeker Stephen Sanders from the Lions was given a spot, and Mark Evans- a beater in the Grasshill Warriors also got a spot. The Bumblebees had the fastest trial out of all of them- William Clark, Sandy Young and Michael Lee dropped out due to nerves. Robert Walker and Christopher Lopez dropped out fairly early on- it was clear that neither of the 16 year olds felt ready to fly in front of such a large crowd, giving the second-last place to their Keeper Susan Green who was an amazing flyer. Finally, it was the Fire Griffins turn. Lachlan elected to keep his feet on the ground, feeling as though his dives were not yet up to a respectable standard. James and Catherine lost a little control on one of the larger dives, and pulled out. Lily and Rose hung onto the competition for longer than people expected- it was clear that they were incredible flyers, but not in the same league as the last two teammates. Harry made sure that he didn't show off too much, until a particularly steep dive lost Rachael- making him celebrate with the most dangerous and difficult moves that he knew he was capable of before landing. He was going to fly at the World Cup! The others went inside, leaving Harry, Susan, Mark, Stephen, Laura, Louise and Rebecca to discuss their 'act,' and get it down perfectly- as a mistake would be highly embarrassing. Finally they thought that they had it down and went to get an early night- but not before collecting their 'America' Quidditch robes with names on the back. Harry smirked at it. He was still 14!

The World Cup went brilliantly, and Harry thoroughly enjoyed his first taste of flying in front of such a large crowd. The match itself was relatively quick as the American seeker was no match for Krum.

Harry teleported himself to the wards room. He had just received a note from the Camp Director saying that a cursebreaker had noticed something odd about him and wanted to check it out. He was nervous- but some deep instinct told him that tonight was going to change his life.

"Ah, hello, Harry, glad to see you."

"Errr… good to see you too, sir," said Harry awkwardly. The cursebreaker chuckled.

"No need to be so formal, Harry. My name's Tim, by the way. Now, I can sense that there's something Dark around you that shouldn't be there, so if I could just get you to lie down? Actually, if you feel comfortable, you can sleep if you like. Might make my job a little easier," said Tim cheerfully. Harry immediately trusted the man and took him up on his offer. The next thing he remembered was being shaken awake by an anxious-looking Tim.

"Harry, I was right. There was Dark magic in your scar. It seemed to be linked to someone else, and it was slowly draining your magic. It looked as though it had been draining you for almost 14 years now… and it put up a fight. I've never had to work so hard against a piece of magic- it was as if it could think for itself! Anyway, I managed to get rid of it. I'd give you about a day or two, but soon you will have all your magic back. That thing was fairly strong, so I'd say expect your magic to be a _lot _stronger. You'll need to work on control. Now- the other side-effects of the magic is stunted growth. You should be at least 2ft taller, Harry! You're naturally tall for your age, but the magic made you a midget. Never mind, that will be fixed in a few days. Finally, it was draining a little of your mind power, so you should be able to think more clearly and faster now. If I were you, I'd be thinking about checking my occlumency skills… they should be easier for you now, as I heard that you weren't _quite _as adept in the mind arts as you are in Quidditch!" he said cheerfully. Harry gaped at him.

"My… scar… it was my connection to Voldemort," he said slowly, "that and my wand… speaking of which, I need a new one, though I s'posse I could just use the staff…"

"You have a staff?" Tim sounded shocked.

"That's- incredible! Actually, though, Harry- I do think you will need a replacement, as the staff might not be attuned to your full power- and then there is the fact that your magic is different without the Dark section."

"Oh. Guess I'll just have to get more practice in wandless magic until I get a new one."

"Harry- I'm not just a curse-breaker, I'm also a wandcrafter- which is different to a wandmaker like Ollivander."

"You are? Cool! What's the difference, though?"

"Wandcrafters are better. Seriously, though, -crafters make wands specifically to suit their owner, whereas –makers make wands before they meet the buyer and just give them the wand that suits them most. Your magic will always be stronger and more focused through a –crafter wand- though suspect you might need a staff." He was right.


	3. Professor Snape

_**Chapter 3-**_

_Dear Mr. Potter-_

_Please find enclosed a list of books to purchase for your next year._

_Congratulations on being chosen as the Gryffindor male 5__th__ year prefect._

_Congratulations on being selected as the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain._

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress_

_Required Texts; please remember that if you have not studied a particular subject before, and you wish to begin studying the subject independently, the books on this list may be too advanced for you. _

_Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5_

_Basics for Beginners, Wilbert Slinkhard- DADA_

_Charming for Everyday People- Charms_

_Advanced Inanimate Transfiguration- Transfiguration_

_Basic Animation- Transfiguration_

_A History of Magic, Bathilda Bagshot- History of Magic_

_Intermediate Potion-Making- Potions_

_1001 Magical Herbs and Fungi- Herbology/Potions_

_The Monster book of Monsters-Care of Magical Creatures_

_Controlling the Inner Eye-Divination_

_Arithmancer's Journal-Arithmancy_

_Runic Studies for Grade 5-Ancient Runes_

_Muggle Customs and Technology-Muggle Studies_

_Stargazing and Searching-Astronomy_

_Dear Ms. Moore,_

_Congratulations on being accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You will find a list of required items. Term begins on the first of September._

_Professor McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress._

_**Uniform; **__Fifth year students will require;_

_3 sets of plain work robes (black)_

_1 winter cloak, silver fastenings_

_1 pair dragonhide gloves_

_**Texts;**_

_Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5_

_Basics for Beginners, Wilbert Slinkhard- DADA_

_Charming for Everyday People- Charms_

_Advanced Inanimate Transfiguration- Transfiguration_

_Basic Animation- Transfiguration_

_A History of Magic, Bathilda Bagshot- History of Magic_

_Intermediate Potion-Making- Potions_

_1001 Magical Herbs and Fungi- Herbology/Potions_

_The Monster book of Monsters-Care of Magical Creatures_

_Controlling the Inner Eye-Divination_

_Arithmancer's Journal-Arithmancy_

_Runic Studies for Grade 5-Ancient Runes_

_Muggle Customs and Technology-Muggle Studies_

_Stargazing and Searching-Astronomy_

_**Other Items;**_

_1 set brass scales_

_1 pewter cauldron, size 2_

_1 brass telescope_

_1 set 'grade 5 potions ingredients'_

_1 wand_

_Students may bring either a cat OR an owl OR a toad_

"Wow. Just…wow. Telling us we need a _wand?_ How old do they think I am?" asked Rachael indignantly. Harry chuckled.

"Rach, that's the first year equipment list, with the exception of the books and 5th year written in place of 1st… and the no broom rule. Plus the potions ingredients. They're different."

"Humph. I'm 15! They have the nerve to tell me that I need a wand for school!"

"Deal with it. On another and slightly more important note, will you try out for the Quidditch team this year? Nothing on our current chasers, but you're better than them. They're brilliant! But you… well… you're _here…_the most prestigious Quidditch Camp in the world- invitation only," said Harry nervously. Rachael slapped him playfully.

"Have you lost your mind? Of course I'm trying out! Imagine a whole year without Quidditch," she shuddered.

"Brilliant!" said Harry excitedly, "We've got the cup this year with you on the team."

"Glad you're happy."

"I am."

"Well… good! Wait… Harry… I just realised. _You were runner up in the duelling and sword fighting competitions this week!_"

"I know! It was _me_, after all!"

"Harry! You- you- Aaargh! _How?_"

"I thought we discussed this last week!"

"Right, sorry."

"No problem!"

"Anyway," said Rachael, trying to diffuse the slight tension that was hanging in the air, "when do we go and get our supplies?"

"Uh," said Harry, "we need to ask someone about that, don't we?"

"Well… yeah," said Rachael, "but Professor Barone owes me a favour after our last trick-flying class, so we can ask him."

"Okay," said Harry, "I like him." He got clumsily to his feet- the new height he had recently gained was still strange to him and he was unusually un-coordinated at the moment- and held out his hand to pull Rachael to her feet. Unfortunately, he underestimated his new strength and pulled her right over.

"Oof," she complained as she hit the ground, before rolling over to look at him, "I think I'll get up myself, but thanks for the offer," she said. Harry blushed.

"Sorry about that," he said nervously, "I seriously underestimated my strength just then…"

"Don't worry about it, Harry," she said, waving off his apology, "we all knew this was going to happen after Tim did that thing to your scar." Harry smiled at her, amazed at how understanding she could be- he was completely unused to that, and it shocked him, but, he decided, he was shocked in a nice way.

"Right," he said, "where are we going to find Professor Barone?"

"He's usually out on the pitch at lunch," Rachael said casually, "he has to make sure that he can actually perform the moves that he tries to teach us!" Harry rolled his eyes at that.

"He doesn't need to know how to do them; he's such a good teacher that he could easily do it all verbally."

"True," said Rachael, "but I think that would embarrass him, don't you? I know that I would be embarrassed if I had to teach people things that I couldn't do myself."

"Yeah, I would," Harry admitted, "but sometimes I forget."

"Yeah, right," Rachael teased, "you and your old, forgetful brain-" she shook her head mournfully- "and here I was, thinking that Tim had fixed all of your memory problems." Harry swatted her playfully at that.

"Oi! If I'm old, what does that make you?"

"Ah, but Harry," she said, "You're old in mind, not in body… and I am most definitely not old in mind!" Harry had no response to that, so to save himself from embarrassment, he pointed at a small black dot high in the air.

"That Professor Barone?" he asked.

"I see what you did there, Harry," Rachael warned him, "but yes, that would be the Professor. Not much chance of catching him now, is there?"

"Well…" said Harry.

"Well what?" asked Rachael curiously.

"You forget that we learned telepathic communication last week."

"No I didn't," she protested, "Professor Brown never got around to me."

"Really?" Harry asked, "I thought that she was able to get to every student each lesson… I never realised that some people were behind because of that!"

"Well, we are," said Rachael, "Besides," she admitted, "my shields aren't strong enough to handle the communication." Harry nodded in understanding. Professor Brown had been extremely clear, first lesson, that if your shields weren't strong enough, you would not be working on any other mind arts as it was dangerous without your mind having some form of protection.

"I'm sure that you'll get there soon," he encouraged, "but in the meantime, I am sure that Professor Barone has strong enough shields to stand a telepathic communication." He quickly began to search the area with his mind until he felt an awareness that he quickly recognised as the Professor.

'_Professor,'_ he directed his thoughts towards it, _'can you please come down? Rachael Moore would like to ask a favour of you.'_ Cutting off the connection, Harry turned to Rachael.

"He'll be coming down now," he said, "so we should probably head over to the pitch so that he can find us when he gets down." The girl beside him nodded, and they set off at a quick jog so that they met with almost perfect timing. The Professor's dives were truly spectacular.

"Hello Harry, Rachael," he greeted them cheerfully, "I might not be as natural at diving as the pair of you, but years of practice can go a long way," he said, interpreting their looks correctly, "now, what was it that you wanted to ask me, Rachael? Great projection, by the way Harry, well done."

"Yeah, uh," she said intelligently, "Harry and I just got our Hogwarts letters and we need to go and get the things on the equipment list. The thing is; the day we leave here is our first day at school so we need time off camp and we were wondering if you would be able to give us permission?"

"You do know that you missed the shopping trip, don't you?"

"Yes, Professor," said Rachael, "but the letters literally came minutes ago; we couldn't have got them any earlier."

"Very well," he said seriously, "I trust the two of you, and you are apparently ahead of your classes… what do you have this afternoon?"

"Sword fighting, broom crafting and Quidditch for me," said Harry.

"Yeah," said Rachael, "though I don't do Sword-fighting."

"Right," said Barone, "I will contact your Professors… just wait a moment." A look of concentration crossed his face and stayed there for almost a minute before he appeared to pull himself back.

"Right," he said cheerfully, "they are all okay for you to miss their classes, so let's go!" Harry and Rachael both stared at him.

"Really?" Harry asked, more than a little shocked, "we can just go?"

"Well," said Barone, "I do have to be with you."

"Alright!" said Rachael cheerfully, "let's go! Where are we going?" she added as an afterthought.

"There's a place, a little similar to your Diagon Alley, Harry, though newer, cheaper and it sells a lot more. It's about a ten minute walk away… or we could just teleport… you both can, right?"

"Yep," they both confirmed, and the Professor smiled.

"Excellent!" he said, "just get your money and anything else you might need and then we can leave! I'll come with you to your dorm, that way we can leave sooner." The two teenagers nodded, and headed towards the main building that housed the dorms and the dining room where most of the students were at that moment.

"I'm ready to go," said Harry, standing over his trunk, holding up a small moneybag with the 'Gringotts' symbol on it, Adal on his shoulder. Rachael nodded.

"I am too," she said, extracting her purse from under a pile of Quidditch gear, "so let's go!" Harry smiled, and the two of them headed for the door.

"You ready?" Professor Barone questioned them.

"Yep," said Rachael excitedly, "and Harry's ready to go as well. So let's go!" Harry rolled his eyes at her excitement, but grabbed onto Barone's offered arm just as quickly and focused on teleporting to the destination of the Professor's choice. He was not going to be left behind! Suddenly, the three of them were standing in the corner of a brightly lit building, with store fronts all along the walls and stalls in the centre of the building. If Harry had to describe a similar looking place, he would have to say that it looked similar to the shopping centre that his Aunt used to drag him to when he was younger to do the grocery shopping, though the things sold here were much more interesting, and the colours were far more varied and bright. Harry grinned despite himself. Rachael was positively bouncing with excitement.

"Okay, Rach, calm down," said Barone, "now where do you need to go first?" When Rachael seemed incapable of answering, Harry stepping in for her.

"We'll get the uniform first, probably," said Harry, "I'll need to buy some more as I've grown a lot since the last time I went shopping… even if it was just over a month ago." At Rachael's enthusiastic nod, the three of them headed towards the 'Designer Robes' sign that was flashing above the people crowded into the hall.

"Hello, can I help you?" a bouncy teenager wearing robes that identified her as a staff member asked them brightly almost immediately after they entered the store.

"We need some Hogwarts robes," said Rachael, barely disguising her excitement, "if you know what they look like?"

"I'm sorry," she said apologetically, "I'm not familiar with their uniform."

"They're plain black," said Harry, "and the cloak is black as well, with silver fastenings."

"That should be easy enough to get," the girl said, bubbly again, "what size are you?"

"Size 8," said Rachael and the exact time Harry said;

"What do you mean, size?" The bouncy shop assistant looked confused at his question.

"Your clothing size… so that the robes fit you," she said, "Surely they ask you what size you are every time you buy new clothing!" Harry shook his head.

"No," the confused boys said, "Madam Malkin just measures us and makes the robes while we are there!"

"British," the assistant said as if it explained everything, "Our robes are pre-made so that we can put more effort into them as the customers don't demand them straight away. Higher quality, you see. We have sizes so that you buy the robe that will fit you. You look like about a medium, if you ask me," she said, eyeing him critically.

"Then why did Rach say size 8 if it's in small, medium and large?"

"No, silly boy," the assistant laughed, "Men's sizes are different to women's!"

"Oh," said Harry, not understanding at all, "Well, if you say so." He still sounded doubtful, but allowed the assistant to pull a pair of robes over his head that said 'medium.'

"They fit!" he said in amazement. Rachael rolled her eyes, and Barone was barely able to hide his own amusement.

"Of course they do," she said, "and mine fit as well." Harry just nodded dumbly.

"We'll take 5 of each," said Rachael, "and two of the cloaks Harry explained each as well, please." The assistant nodded happily, and began pulling robes off the racks as Harry started digging around in his moneybag, and Rachael quickly followed suit.

"That's 104 galleons each," she said happily, handing over the packages of new robes, "come again soon," she added hopefully when the pair of them handed over their money. Harry shook his head slightly as they left the store weighed down by their new purchases.

"What's next?" asked Barone when they were far enough from the entrance of the robe store.

"Books," said Harry quickly, "we need books next." Rachael nodded, though there was a lot less excitement in it that there had been before.

"There's a bookstore over there," said Barone, "do you need me to get something else while the two of you are in there?"

"I need a brass telescope," said Rachael, though the lack of enthusiasm for Astronomy was clear in her voice. The Professor nodded.

"Okay," he said, "Meet you out here when you're finished." The pair nodded and moved over to the bookstore. There were towers of neat shelves lining the walls and islands of bookshelves filling the centre of the room, with tiny corridors for people to move around in. The sign at the doorway proclaimed it to be the largest bookstore in the magical world, and Harry definitely believed the sign.

"Right," said Rachael, sounding a little lost, "now we need to find the books on our list." She sounded incredibly doubtful that that was possible in such a large store.

After ten minutes of wandering aimlessly through the store, the teenagers were ready to admit defeat and leave the store when a shop assistant finally spotted them.

"You're looking for something in particular, aren't you?" he asked, seeing the defeated looks on their faces.

"Yes," they chorused. The assistant smirked.

"I'm Finn," he said, "and summoning charms were invented for a reason. What are you looking for?" The teenagers exchanged frustrated looks before silently handing over the book list, having highlighted the texts that they wanted beforehand.

Only a minute later, the books were in their hands, and Harry was paying for them.

"Thanks, Harry," said Rachael as they left the store and began heading towards the anxious-looking Barone.

"There you are," he said when they reached him; "I thought you'd tried to leave on your own."

"Nope," said Rachael, "that bookstore is just far too large for any searching to be realistically completed in it."

"What?" the professor looked confused, and Harry supposed that Rachael did talk a little faster than a normal person.

"We couldn't find the books we were looking for," he explained, and the Professor relaxed.

"Oh, okay," he said, "what's next?"

"Potions ingredients," said Harry with a shudder, wishing that he could have said anything other than that, "and I need a new cauldron, too." Rachael smirked at him.

"I knew you shouldn't have lent it to the twins, they can't help but cause destruction." Harry sniffed.

"They promised not to explode the lab with it."

"Yeah, but you forgot to get them to promise to give you the cauldron back _undamaged._" Harry conceded the point, and they began heading towards the modern-looking apothecary.

"Uh," said Harry, "Rachael? How are we supposed to get 5th years ingredients when the store doesn't stock Hogwarts lists?" Rachael froze.

"Well," she said finally, "We'll just have to get everything, won't we?" Harry rolled his eyes and the two of them began to collect all of the ingredients that they felt would be necessary during the following year at Hogwarts. Suddenly, Harry froze.

"Harry, what's wrong?" asked Rachael when she saw him stop.

"He's- no way… we have to get out of here," he hissed at her, but it was too late.

"Potter!" a voice broke through to him, and he looked up slowly. The man was tall, much taller than most people, and his long, greasy black hair fell in curtains around his face, obscuring it so that the only thing he could truly see was the large, prominent nose sticking out.

"Potter, what are you doing here?" the man sneered at him, "Professor Dumbledore has been looking everywhere for you." Harry gulped.

"He's been staying with me," a voice interrupted before Harry could think of a reasonable answer, "studying potions with Miss Moore here." The man sneered.

"Indeed? You look in perfect health to me, so forgive me if I do not believe you," and Harry was suddenly reminded why he hated Snape.

"I can be good at potions when you're not hanging over me like a thunderstorm, Snape," he said obnoxiously.

"Yeah, Harry's really good," said Rachael brightly, "he even helped me with my Veritaserum!"

"Impossible," Snape dismissed, "Now, Potter, you're coming with me to explain to the headmaster what you are really doing this holidays," he said, making a grab for Harry's shoulder.

"Keep your hands off him," said Barone just as Harry swung around, reflexes from the duelling and sword-fighting competitions and classes kicking in.

'WHACK!' A resounding thump was heard throughout the room as Harry's fist connected with the man's nose and a loud 'CRACK' followed it. The nose was broken. Snape staggered, and Barone took the opportunity to pull Rachael and Harry out of the room, leaving the ingredients for another day.

"Wow," said Rachael when they stopped running, "that was interesting!" That was when the three of them teleported back to the camp.

"Well," said Barone when he caught his breath, "that could have ended badly! I think we'll get Professor Brauer to get your potions supplies later!"

"Yeah," said Harry, his breaths still coming in gasps, "yea, they'll be looking for me there now!" Rachael nodded.

"They will," she said, "and for me as well, 'cause Snape saw me with you." Harry paled suddenly.

"Oh, no," he moaned, "Snape. I hit him!"

"So? He was trying to kidnap you!" Rachael exclaimed indignantly.

"No," said Harry, "That doesn't matter. He's going to make my life even more difficult than it already was… and he was very bad before!"

"He can't be that bad," Said Rachael calmly. Harry just nodded vigorously.

"Yes," he said"…yes, he can!"

"Okay," said Rachael, but it was clear that she didn't believe him. Harry just shook his head. She would find out soon enough.

"Come on, Rachael, Harry," said Barone, cutting into their argument, "you're back in time to get ready for Quidditch!"

"Quidditch," said Harry, the only word that had managed to penetrate into his mind, "Quidditch! Let's go, Rach!" Rachael rolled her eyes at him, but allowed herself to be pulled away into the direction of the dorms.


	4. The Leaky Cauldron

_**Chapter Four; The Leaky Cauldron**_

Quidditch Camp went far too quickly, and before Harry could believe it, they were having the final match of the camp. He gripped his broom harder, determined to finish the Camp on a high. They were playing the Silver Dragons, so the match was going to be interesting no matter who won.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," came the now familiar voice of Tayla Hawkins, sadness tinged into it, "and the final match of camp- the Grand Final, everyone! Put your hands together for the amazing… SILVER DRAGONS! Owens! Reynolds! Gibbson! Cruz! Crawford! Lopez! Aaaaaaand… ROBERTSON!" As Tayla called out the names, the players streaked onto the field, silver robes flying behind them. They all flew a lap around the pitch before landing just off centre, on their side of the field. While this was happening, Tayla was talking.  
"And, what amazing record so far, Ladies and Gentlemen! 12 victories, one loss and a draw this season for the oldest team in the competition! Let's see if they can add another victory to that tally this afternoon, folks! That will be decided by their worthy opponents… the FIRE GRIFFINS! Let's have another round of applause for the talented… Smith! Moore! Martinez! Taylor! Taylor! Jones! Aaaaaaand… POTTER! Once again, this team has an amazing record so far, identical in tally to that of their opponent! Featuring the youngest seeker in a century and the youngest chaser in half a century, the Fire Griffins are the youngest team in this competition! This is it, folks, the Grand Final have come down to youth versus experience! Who will win? The odds are out, and it's going to be a close match for sure! Neither team has the statistical advantage- they've played each other three times, folks, and each team has one once and lost once. The draw in their statistics is from this particular match up as well! This is sure going to be interesting. Now, Referee Hooch has stepped out onto the field… let's hear what she has to say!" The now excited voice of Tayla Hawkins drifted out as she removed her sonorus charm at the same time Professor Hooch applied one to herself.

Tayla sat back in her seat and folded her arms across her chest. She hadn't been kidding- this really was going to be an interesting match. The Silver Dragons had actually played together before, and knew each other a lot better than the Fire Griffins. In that respect, she was sure that they had the advantage. But the younger team had really pulled together over the last few weeks, and Potter _was _the most brilliant amateur seeker she had ever seen. It was really going to be an interesting game… she returned her focus to what the Referee was saying.

"…Four hours and a time out will be called," Hooch was saying sternly, "and international regulations! All fouls will be pulled up and properly penalised; a free throw for the first, second and third attempt. A loss of ten points for all infringements after that, along with two penalty shots. A time out may only be called by the Captain. If the score is even at the four hour mark, a break of twenty minutes will be called before another thirty minutes is added into play. If the score is still even, we play sudden death. Questions? No? Captains, shake hands," the woman instructed, and two players stepped forward- one in red, the other silver. Their hands met briefly before falling down to their sides and they stepped back to take their position in line with their team.

"Mount your brooms," she said, and Tayla sat back up.

"Sonorus," she said quietly, pointing her wand at her throat. Now, she was announcing. She was back in her territory again.

"The referee has finished with her instructions, so that means… Yes! The Quaffle is released! The snitch is free now… and it's gone! Now… the bludgers are up, and the game's begun! Get ready for a brilliant match, everyone, as Owens immediately takes possession for the Silver Dragons. Now it's Gibbson! Pass to Owens! Gibbson! Reverse pass to Reynolds! Aaaand Reynolds is streaking down the pitch, looks like he's going for goal! No… spin pass to Gibbson, and that's an amazing catch by their star chaser! She shoots… GOAL! 10 to Nil, Silver Dragons!" Tayla paused for a breath as Lachlan Jones dove after the Quaffle, the Keeper not looking flustered at all. She smiled. He was young, but he never let nerves or embarrassment affect him while he was playing. He was good.

"Now the Fire Griffins have possession of the Quaffle! And it's Moore! Smith! Moore! Martinez! Wow, this is incredibly quick passing, but… yes, Gibbson with the Quaffle! And it's Gibbson, from the Silver Dragons!"

The Silver Dragons managed to score another six goals before Harry- Tayla was sure it was Harry; he was Captain, after all, shouted something to his team. Whatever it was, it worked. Their teamwork improved and suddenly the score was even on 70 all.

"And it's getting exciting now, folks," Tayla all but screamed as Moore streaked down the pitch, Quaffle tucked under her arm, "Moore still in possession… No! A _very _clever pass to Smith and its 70-80, FIRE GRIFFINS!"

There was still no sight of the snitch, and Tayla was getting a little exhausted, her throat sore from all the commentating she had been doing. Finally, the clocked ticked over and she braced herself, knowing her throat was about to start hurting again.

"Aaaand… it's been 3 hours and 50 minutes, folks, that's right- 3 hours and 50 minutes! If the snitch is not spotted in the next ten minutes, the players will get a twenty minute break before they resume play for another half an hour! If the score is still even then, we move into sudden death! Oh, that's 210-200 now, folks, to the Silver Dragons! If they can hold it at that for the next ten minutes, the Silver Dragons win the match!" But Tayla could see the older team getting sloppy. With two minutes to go, Rachael Moore managed to slip in another goal and the score was even again.

"That's a minute to go, folks, and the score is still even! Fire Griffins in possession- No! Brilliant intercept there by Gibbson, and she's heading for goals! Will she get there in time? 30 seconds remaining, everyone… I remind you, if the score is even, we break before returning in twenty minutes… 20 seconds to go and a spectacular pass to Reynolds! Ten seconds, and a great catch by Owens… he's going for goal… 5! 4! 3! 2! 1! TIME!"

There was a great CLANG as the Quaffle sailed straight through the left hoop. A collective gasp went through the stadium as all eyes focused on the Referee. She made a great fuss over checking her watch and looking from Tayla to the ring. Tayla was going red from the pressure. If Professor Hooch couldn't make up her mind, the decision would go to her.

Finally, after what felt like _years _to Tayla and the players- but was really only seconds, Hooch pointed her wand at her throat. The silence was unnatural.

Hooch cleared her throat. She _hated_ making decisions like this- one team always felt as though she was… well… she had been called a lot of creative names doing this job. She absent-mindedly wiped away a bead of sweat as she made her decision.

"No Goal. Play will resume in twenty minutes."

Tayla sighed with relief. She was exceptionally glad that she wasn't the one that made the decision, but if she had been it would have been the same. Apart from the fact that she wanted to see the Fire Griffins play some more, you had to allow a split second of time for announcing and the countdown had finished when the goal went in. Still, the Silver Dragons looked severely disappointed as they trudged back into their locker room. At the other end of the stadium, the Fire Griffins looked exhausted but hopeful. Tayla knew full well the tactical and psychological advantage the Fire Griffins had just received. The other team were about to doubt their plays, but the younger team had just been given a major advantage and they were going to grab it. Unless something happened, Tayla was putting her money on the younger team now.

"Aaaand, after that short break, Ladies and Gentlemen," Tayla was announcing again, "we welcome both teams back out onto the pitch! They have half an hour to try and win this game before we play sudden-death! I'd like to see a proper win, so, folks, please welcome and support your teams! Here are... the SILVER DRAGONS!" Once again, seven silver blurs raced out onto the pitch and flew a lap around.

"Followed by… the FIRE GRIFFINS!" And seven red streaks zoomed around before landing. They once again went through all of the proper pre-game rituals before the game began.

"It's Moore… she's grabbed the Quaffle for the Fire Griffins! Martinez! Moore! Smith! Intercepted by Gibbson! Owens! Reynolds! Gibbson! Owens! Back to Moore! Martinez! Moore! Smith! Martinez! They're getting close to the goals, Moore! Smith! Aaah… Gibbson!" Neither team could get a goal, the players all equally exhausted and fumbling for the Quaffle a little.

"Moore!" Tayla was getting sick of calling out surnames all of the time, when she saw a flash of red out of the corner of her eye.

"Potter's seen the snitch! Or is it just his usual feint? Robertson taking a risk, both seekers flat out in a race for the ground! Potter's ahead… the grounds catching him fairly quickly, and… Oooh, that was a narrow- OUCH! Robertson not making the dive and smashing into the ground! That's got to hurt! He's back on his broom- that seeker's got GUTS! Potter's still going… that's an incredible pace he's flying at! Moore still in possession of the Quaffle… GOAL! 380-390 to the Fire Griffins… and POTTER HAS CAUGHT THE SNITCH! With twelve minutes and thirty seven seconds remaining in play, Potter has caught the snitch leaving the final score at 380-540 to the Fire Griffins, securing their win for the season and this year's Camp! Congratulations to the Fire Griffins, and congratulations also to the runner-ups… the SILVER DRAGONS! Well fought, losing the match by a mere 160 points in a total time of 4 hours, 17 minutes and 63 seconds! That's all for this year, folks. Thank you for coming to watch the Grand Final of the American Camp for Quidditch Prodigies' yearly tournament!" Tayla gasped and cast the counter charm. One of the Professors- she wasn't sure which one- quickly passed her a throat soothing potion, and she gulped it down gratefully. Her throat felt as though she had been yelling at the top of her lungs for the last four hours, seventeen minutes and… well… let's just say her throat was sore.

Harry had taken part in a lot of post-match Quidditch celebrations, but this one had to take the cake as the muggles would say. It had started off camp-wide with a presentation ceremony, a food fight and lots and lots of butterbeer and firewhisky (for the adults). Different players from various teams had volunteered the victory songs that their local teams sung when they won matches and there was generally a lot of shouting and cheering. Even the Silver Dragons had joined in the celebrations, looking genuinely happy for the team that had beaten them- though Harry was sure it was just a mask from most of them. They were all, after all, hoping to get a spot on a professional team, and coming second to a completely amateur team with only one person over the age of 15 wasn't something you could just be cheerful about.

Slowly, the party had drifted into their dorm and they had finished it off with a massive pillow fight that even Adal had managed to get involved with after Lily's pillow didn't quite hit its intended target of Harry. The fight dissolved soon after and they resigned themselves to a more quiet party when Professor Barone came in and told them to _shut up_. Of course, he had a long winded reason for it, his explanation almost putting them to sleep. Only Harry noticed the smirk on his face when they left. So, the Fire Griffins talked. Mostly about how they were going to miss each other and promises to keep in contact as well as what they planned on doing when they left camp. Harry was shocked when Lachlan confided to them that he actually didn't want to play Quidditch professionally- he was happy remaining a brilliant amateur rather than becoming a bad professional- though of course the others all denied him, saying that there was no way he would be a bad professional- but Lachlan just smiled at them, and they all knew that he was probably right. He didn't have the feel for the game the way the others did. They were naturals, Lachlan had been pushed by his professional father since before he could walk and trained to be good.

"Besides," the boy said, "Even if I did go Professional, my dad did it first. There's not much fun in that.

Suddenly, and Harry was not quite sure how it happened- Harry was back in London, Rachael beside him. He smiled slightly as she bowed her head, long hair swinging across her face making her look exceptionally cute. Harry fought to keep all evidence of his thoughts off his face. He failed.

"Erm… we should probably go and get a place to stay," he said lamely, and Rachael looked at him oddly before deciding not to comment.

"Yes, we should," she said blandly, "any place you recommend?" Harry blushed.

"Errr… well I only know of one place," he admitted, "it's called the Leaky Cauldron and students often stay there before the start of school," he admitted quietly. Rachael just smiled at him.

"Well, let's go there, then! I'm feeling quite tired, actually, and we don't have anyone to cast the spell for us this time around." Harry smiled at her, straightening up.

"Follow me," he said happily and pulled the older girl by the arm off down Diagon Alley.

"Here it is," he said in his best tour-guide voice, "The Leaky Cauldron. Founded on some obscure date a long time ago, the inn is now owned and run by a rather old man by the name of Tom…" he continued on, Rachael laughing at some of the things he said. Not many tour guides would be happy with the date he had given her!

Finally, Harry finished his narration and pulled the girl into the inn and straight towards the barman.

"Hi Tom," he said happily, "I was wondering if we could get two rooms until September First?" Tom eyed them suspiciously, but decided that they were sincere. He put down the dishcloth and sighed.

"You'll have to excuse me," he said heavily, "but there is only one more room available." Harry and Rachael glanced at each other; Rachael with a look of '_Well, if you really don't know any other places to stay…'_ Harry gulped.

"Alright," he said nervously, "is there any chance of the two of us staying in that room?" Tom just gave them a piercing glance and a warning look.

"A galleon a night," the wizened man said, "name?"

"Rachael Moore," Rachael told him promptly, giving Harry a look that clearly said '_don't interfere,'_ "You can charge it to my account." Tom looked happy at that- it meant the two teenagers couldn't rip him off, and he could charge extra if they misbehaved.

"Key?" he asked with a sincere smile. Rachael handed it to him, and Tom nodded his thanks before pointing them up the stairs.

"Room number 14, Ms Moore and friend," he sounded quite pleased and Harry breathed out a sigh of relief. He hadn't been recognised. Not that it would be all that easy to recognise him, but he wasn't going to leave that to chance. Snape, after all, _had_ recognised him- though that might have had something to do with teaching him for the last four years and- apparently- going to school with his father.

The two teenagers moved as quickly as they could through the hall, eager to get some sleep. Unfortunately, the rooms weren't on their side. Each landing had two rooms on it, and they started from room 1.

"I swear each staircase is longer than the last," Rachael grumbled as they reached the landing containing rooms 9 and 10.

"I think you're right," Harry agreed grumpily. The stairs were old and rickety- he felt as though with each step he took, he was more and more likely to fall straight through them. He wasn't sure he had all that much faith in magic at the moment.

Finally, they reached their room and opened the door. Rachael went first, only to freeze in horror.

"It's a double bed."

Needless to say, neither of them got all that much sleep that night.

It was a tired and grumpy Harry Potter that led Rachael out into Diagon Alley the next day. There was not much to do, either. They had everything they needed, and more. Finally, Rachael offered her suggestion and Harry brightened considerably.

"Let's get ice cream," she had suggested. He quickly led her to Florean Fortescue's and they ordered their ice cream. While they were waiting for it, Harry heard a distinct voice.

"Just wait until my father hears about this!" A tall boy with slicked back blonde hair stalked out of the store. Harry froze. Luck was against him. Draco Malfoy had spotted Rachael.

"Madam," he said in what he thought was a regal voice- but he didn't sound anything like it, "may I be so bold as to enquire after your name?" Rachael looked stuck- but she couldn't refuse without giving his family the right to challenge her's to a duel.

"Moore," she said reluctantly.

"Indeed?" he asked, surprised, "My information tells me that your family left Britain several years ago," he trailed off, the implied insult left hanging.

"We are back," she sniffed. Malfoy nodded, and held out his hand. Both Harry and Rachael stiffened.

"The Malfoys, as you are no doubt aware, are the most powerful family in Great Britain," the pompous air sounding even more sickening than usual, "Come with me and I will help you move in the… right circles. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong, sort, trust me. Such a beautiful maiden must not be taken advantage of." Rachael stared into the blonde's eyes, and for a split second, Harry was sure she was going to accept. Then-

SLAP!

A large, red handprint was visible on Malfoys cheek, and Harry had to bite his lip to stop himself from laughing. Malfoy was not impressed.

"Why- just _wait_ until my father hears about this!" He stalked off, his nose high in the air and Rachael couldn't help it- she burst out laughing. That was the final for Harry. They were still laughing when Florean came out with their ice creams ten minutes later.


	5. The Hogwarts Express

_**Chapter Five; The Hogwarts Express**_

_I haven't done this before, but this chapter is dedicated to _akasanta___who seems to have something positive to say about everything I write, and has been a dedicated reviewer. Thank you so much! _

The week passed quickly, and Harry found himself in the last minute rush to pack all of their belongings that had somehow spread themselves all over the place over the last week- he wasn't quite sure how that happened, and he didn't think he wanted to know, either.

Rachael's hair was flying everywhere as she darted around the room, collecting all of her belongings and forcing them to all fit back into her trunk. Adal just sat there, looking amused. Harry had a sneaking suspicion that the wolf had done something. While incredibly loyal, the FlameWolf was terribly cheeky and was forever playing tricks on him and the people close to him, driving them to distraction. Harry was sure that when they got back to Hogwarts, Hedwig was going to hate the wolf that was growing at a remarkable pace, now almost halfway up his shins.

Eventually the pair was ready, trunks shrunken (thanks to Harry's staff) and their account fully paid for- and they were standing in a shadowy corner of Diagon Alley, Adal riding on Harry's shoulder as if he owned it.

"I'm teleport on 3," Harry hissed at Rachael, "and you just have to follow my trail, right?" Rachael nodded. Following a trail was difficult, but not beyond her ability… she hoped. It would help her that Harry had Adal with him- their 'signature' would be brighter and Harry would be forced to move more slowly to make up for the unusual addition.

"Okay," Harry braced himself, "1…2…3!" and they teleported to Platform 9 and three quarters.

"Wow," said Rachael, looking around, her eyes shining, "this is amazing! I know you've told me about it, but seeing it…" And as Harry looked around, he could see what she meant. Sure, he had been here before, but he had never actually taken the time to stop and look around. It was just a train platform, a gateway to Hogwarts. Well, it had been. It was an amazing sight, and Harry could only imagine what it would be like for Rachael- whose lineage gave her the ability to see strands of magic. The amount of enchantments on this place… it must be incredible. He just wondered if she would be able to cope at Hogwarts, or if the sheer amount of magic would throw her off. She shrugged when he asked.

"I don't have to see it if I don't want to," she said simply and Harry was shocked. She could just turn her vision off? But as he thought about it, it began to make more sense. He smiled, and gestured her forwards.

"We might as well get a compartment," he said, "while they're empty. I've been given permission to skip the Prefects meeting because I'm helping you." He smiled mischievously as he said it. Rachael grinned back.

"Oh, Harry," she teased, "how can you bear it? To miss that meeting? I'm sorry to keep you away from it, you can leave me if you like," she wiped a mock tear from her eye. Harry just snorted.

"Come on, you witch," he said playfully, "let's get a compartment before the Weasleys and Grangers get here." Rachael nodded and followed. She knew all about his traitorous friends. She was going to have a lot of… fun with them this year.

Harry finally found a compartment that was in an obscure enough place that he was sure his old friends wouldn't bother to look for him in, but he put up a few wards against them just in case. He couldn't do very good ones, but hopefully it would keep Ron and Hermione away from them for the entire trip. He hoped it would.

With ten minutes until the train departed, the door slid open and a harried looking Neville came in.

"Is anyone…" he trailed off, "never mind," he sighed, "I'll keep looking." Harry stared at the boy. That was slightly sad, to see him automatically expect to be rejected.

"Hey, Neville, you can stay," he called out after the retreating back.

"Who- Harry? You look different," he said nervously, "are you sure I can stay here?" The chubby boy bit his lip, clearly expecting Harry to change his mind and tell him to leave, saying that he was pathetic and to go and jump in the lake. He was pleasantly surprised and more than a little shocked when Harry said

"Sure! Neville, this is Rachael Moore- she's transferring into our year this year. Rach, this is Neville Longbottom, a Gryffindor in our year."

"Nice to meet you, Neville," said Rachael, sticking out her hand, and Neville shook it, looking shocked from the introduction.

Neville really was feeling shaken. _'He introduced me as a Gryffindor,'_ he thought in wonder, '_He __**actually**__ introduced me to his friend, and told her that I am a __**Gryffindor!**__ Not a pathetic boy that was, unfortunately, in his year. Harry Potter! But Ron and Hermione always told me that I was pathetic and Harry Potter would never look at me…_ He needed to ask where they were.

"Um… Harry?" he asked timidly, "w-where's R-Ron a-a-and H-Hermione?" He trembled at the thought of them.

Harry's eyes flashed.

"They're not my friends anymore," he said fiercely, before turning to stare out the window, leaving Rachael the difficult task of explaining what had happened between them. He was still too furious.

His fury was nothing compared to what it was when he found out what they had been telling Neville and others in their year. Harry clenched his fists, forcing himself to not go storming down the train to give them a piece of his mind.

"Hey, Harry," a comforting arm pulled him into Rachael's lap, "don't worry about them now, they don't matter anymore," she said calmly, running a soothing finger down his neck and carding through his hair. Harry relaxed, and felt the tension drain out of his shoulders. He smiled.

"You're right." Neville visibly relaxed as Harry did- the amount of magic and power that had been oozing off the younger boy had him wanting to run for the hills. He would have- had it not been for  
Harry's comment about him being a Gryffindor. It was true- he was sorted into the house, he must be brave! Sometimes.

'_Rachael's an amazing girl,'_ was the only thing that Harry was capable of thinking. She was amazing at Quidditch, was amazingly pretty and- though she was calm most of the time, she had an amazing temper as she displayed when Professor Barone and Professor Brauer had made a combined effort and attempted to stop them from returning to Hogwarts, saying that it was too dangerous for them, especially after what Snape had tried to do. Harry had tried to change their mind, saying that Snape was just like that and he was sure that there wasn't a real danger, but the two Professors quickly shot down all of his arguments with an almost professional ease. Finally, Rachael had stepped forward, laying into them.

They had no chance. Finally, Rachael had managed to calm down enough, and succeeded in grounding out a 'Thank you,' before storming off.

She had apologised profusely the next day, but the two Professors waved it off, saying that she had a right to be angry. Harry wasn't sure that the two men actually believed that- he could see fear hiding in their eyes as they remembered the girls' volatile temper. They would never cross her again.

Harry smirked.

"What are you smirking at, Harry?" asked Rachael, and Harry's smirk grew even larger.

"Oh, not much," he said flippantly, sitting up, "just the time you laid into Brauer and Barone that time they didn't want us to come back to England." Rachael blushed, and Neville looked extremely lost, but didn't ask. It was probably best that way.

"How were your holidays, Neville?" Harry askew, wanting to change the subject. A shocked Neville just stuttered for a few seconds before he managed to create a coherent sentence.

"It was alright," he said, "I just worked in my greenhouse."

"You have your own greenhouse?" Harry asked, intrigued, "that's amazing! What do you grow?" Neville's confidence grew a few notches as he described all the plants that he grew, and- at Harry's prompting, all about them, when he had planted them, if they were doing well or not and all of the other minor details aside. Harry wasn't a herbology lover- quite the opposite, actually- he tended to find it quite dull, but he was determined to bring Neville out of his shell this year no matter what, considering it was partially his fault that the boy was so shy. He just hoped that Rachael understood why he was focusing more on Neville than her at the moment.

"Anything off the trolley, dears?" a voice broke through his thoughts.

Errr… Rach, Neville, do either of you two want anything?" Neville shook his head, but Rachael's eyes lit up with delight, and Harry sighed and handed over a fistful of galleons.

"Knock yourself out," he said, "but get some for me as well!" Rachael looked just a little crazy as she advanced on the sweets trolley, and Harry wondered if he did the right thing.

The trolley lady was still there five minutes later, attempting to fulfil Rachael's insane order- that, to make things worse, kept changing. Finally, the lady was done and Rachael was able to just squeeze into a seat next to all of the food she had bought. She handed Harry back the change, who sighed.

"Neville, you've got to help me," he said, pleading, "Rachael's going to pop if she eats even half of that! We've got to eat it before she can hurt herself!" Neville just nodded, as though it was a serious mission- to save Rachael- and reached over to take a Chocolate frog. Rachael nodded at Harry, and he winked back at her. Rachael still didn't have her shields to be able to communicate telepathically, but she had gotten the point when Harry gave her the money.

"So, Rachael," asked Neville, initiating the conversation for the first time, "are you looking forward to Hogwarts?"

"Yeah," she said, but Harry- for the first time- caught a twinge of fear in her voice. He raised an eyebrow at the older girl, and she blushed.

"Well… I'm a little nervous for the sorting," she admitted to them, "we haven't really considered the idea that I will go anywhere _but _Gryffindor. What if I'm not brave enough? What if I end up in Hufflepuff, or Ravenclaw? What if I go into _Slytherin?_" she shivered a little. Harry smiled softly at her, and moved over to sit beside her. He put a comforting arm around her shoulder.

"You are one of the bravest girls I've ever known, Rach," he said softly, "and I think you'll be a Gryffindor. But, you're also loyal like a Hufflepuff, smart like a Ravenclaw and more ambitious than most Slytherins! You do want to play Quidditch professionally, after all. You know what, though? Most people don't realise this, but it is our own choices that define which house we are in, rather than the traits that we show when we are sorted. If you really want to be a Gryffindor, you can convince the sorting hat to put you there. And we both know that you're _very _good at convincing people to do what you want." Rachael blushed and smiled before raising an eyebrow at Harry.

"Sorting Hat?" Harry groaned.

"That was supposed to be a secret," he mumbled. "Oh well," he suddenly brightened, "seeing as you seem to know about it, I suppose I can tell you more!" Neville gave them both a shaky- but definitely encouraging- smile and Harry launched into a *_cough history lesson cough* _description.

"A thousand years ago, the founders themselves hand-picked the students that they thought would belong in their house. It was a… shaky method, at best, but it worked. However, the founders were ageing, and they quickly realised that in such a dangerous time period, they wouldn't be around forever. They needed a way to keep the sorting going once they were gone from the school. They thought about it for weeks, before finally, Gryffindor had an idea…." He continued on, making the lesson more interesting than Binns ever had. Even Neville was listening intently, never having heard the full story spread out in such an understandable way before.

"…and so that's hoe the sorting hat came to exist, sorting students into their houses each year and devising warnings for the school whenever it feels they are necessary. Of course, it gets more and more barmy each year of its exceptionally long and boring life, and has resorted to singing poems each year to try and have something to do other than listening to the ramblings of an equally barmy old man each year," he finished off, siting back proudly.

"I think I'd write poetry, too," Rachael commented blandly.

"Me too," Neville offered.

"You know what? I reckon I would as well," said Harry, and the three of them started to laugh- Neville hesitantly at first, but gaining confidence as no one scolded him, or made fun of him.

All too soon, in Harry's opinion, it was time for Malfoy's yearly visit. The blonde stood in the doorway, his two fat henchmen standing on either side, blocking the doorway.

"Ditched the mudblood and the Weasel, Potter? Can't say I'm not surprised, those two are disgusting. Still, I'd say your taste in companions is declining over the years… a squib and a blood-traitor," the blonde shook his head, emulating perfect disappointment. "at least they won't last very long; the Dark Lord will go for them first. First Cedric, then Longbottom will be next… or maybe dear Aunt Bella will get him, and he can go and join his parents…" Malfoy got no further, as a pudgy hand slapped him across the face.

Malfoy let out an unwilling grunt but was silenced as Neville's fist rammed straight into his gut. Winded, Malfoy fell back before fainting. Crabbe and Goyle looked around gormlessly, before finally grabbing their leader and dragging him away.

"Well done, Neville," said Harry, a little gently as he remembered what had happened to Neville's parents. Then Harry smirked, as he remembered his position.

"Ten points from Gryffindor for fighting…" Neville and Rachael gaped, "…and sixty points to Gryffindor for defending your family." Neville, having only gained ten points for Gryffindor in his life, fainted. Rachael smiled at him, before reviving Neville, who was going into shock.

"F-f-f-fifty," he said; the question evident in his tone.

"Malfoy was way below the belt; that was the most…" he trailed off, not able to think of any words to describe Malfoy's comments. "Urgh! I heard about what happened to your parents, and that was the bravest thing I've seen in a long while, Neville. You defended them even under _that _sort of threat, and still managed to both give him what he deserved without losing your head. I'm…" he trailed off again, and Rachael grinned.

"What my friend here is trying to say is that he's very impressed and wishes that he could respond to Malfoy in the same way when the boy taunts him."

"R-really?" Neville stuttered, shock once again flitting over his face.

"Yes," said Harry fiercely. Neville blinked, before turning away to hide his face. He didn't turn around again until a voice echoed through the train, informing them that the train would be arriving in Hogsmeade in 5 minutes, and to leave their luggage on the train. Rachael and Harry quickly swung their robes over the clothes that they had worn onto the train, but Neville- who had not thought to wear his uniform minus the robe to the train, had to step outside to get changed properly.

"He's very shy," Rachael observed, staring at the closed compartment door.

"Yes, he is," said Harry, "But I kind of feel as though it's partially my fault and now I want to fix that,"  
he finished tiredly. Rachael smiled gently at him.

"Well," she said softly, "I think you're doing a brilliant job."

"Really?" Harry looked up hopefully at the girl from his position on the floor, "do you really think so?"

"I do," she said, before the conversation ended as Neville stepped back into the compartment. That was when Adal, who had been hiding for the entire trip, finally got bored and chose the worst possible moment to reveal himself. Neville fainted again.

'_What? What'd I do?' _the wolf asked Harry. Harry sighed.

'_You sent him into shock. Normally, Golden FlameWolves don't just appear from behind people; especially when they're believed to be extinct in Britain.'_

'_Oh. Sorry.'_ Harry just sighed, and revived Neville again. It was going to be a _long_ explanation.

Slowly, the train drew to a halt, and Harry moved towards his carriage's door, knowing that it was the job of the fifth year prefects to open the doors. He opened it, and the students began to stream out. He was shocked at how many people could fit into one carriage- but then, he supposed, the Hogwarts Express _did _have 12 compartments in each carriage, and you could fit eight into each if you tried. Thankfully, Malfoy wasn't in their compartment. He wasn't sure that he could stand having to hold the door open for the boy. Sure, he was a prefect, but Harry was certain that he would never stoop as low as to open a door for another.

Rachael and Neville waited until last, before the three of them stepped off the train together. Harry listened for Hagrid's, familiar voice, but he was shocked when a prim and proper voice called out

"First years, this way please! First years, over here." He stared for almost a minute, before averting his eyes. It wouldn't do to be caught staring, he was taught better than that over the summer. Another voice was calling out over the din of the students.

"Ms Moore! Rachael Moore, to me, please!" Harry turned to Rachael.

"That's Professor Sinistra, she teaches Astronomy, and is quite nice. She'll look after you- it's traditional that the first years take the boats to school so that they get the best view of the castle before they enter, so you'll probably do a similar thing instead of taking the carriages with us. Here, I'll introduce you."

"Mr Potter, Mr Longbottom," the Professor greeted them.

"Evening, Ma'am," said Harry politely, "Rachael, this is Professor Sinistra. Professor, this is Rachael Moore."

"Nice to meet you, Professor," said Rachael politely, stepping up to meet her.

"And you as well, Ms Moore," the Professor replied, "well, come along now. Mr Longbottom, Mr Potter- good day." She nodded at them, before turning around and leading Rachael along with her. Harry smiled.

"She always in polite," he said thoughtfully, "proper greetings and everything. I never noticed before," he finished thoughtfully, following Neville to the carriages- stopping short at the creatures pulling them.

"Thestrals," he whispered, "I can't believe I never saw them before."

"You never believed," a voice floated out to him. Harry looked up to see a girl with long, dirty-blonde hair and a necklace of what looked like butterbeer corks, reading a magazine upside down.

"What do you mean, I never believed?" He was very confused.

"You have to accept them, before you can see them," she said cheerfully in her silvery voice before turning her attention back to her magazine. Most people wouldn't understand, but Harry did.

He had never accepted his parent's deaths. Logically, he had- but his heart had still believed that they would come back one day. Rachael had helped him over the holidays to accept both their deaths and Cedric's, and the result was his ability to see the Thestrals.

"Thank you," he said sincerely, and the girl let out a brilliant smile before returning her attention to the Quibbler as though nothing had ever happened. Harry shook his head, bemused as he got into the carriage with Neville- who was also staring at the creatures pulling the carriages.

"I never saw them before, either," Neville admitted, "not until you said their name." Harry smiled at him, before quickly changing the topic to something lighter. He scrambled for a topic, but thankfully, the girl butted in.

"You're Harry Potter," she said dreamily, "and Neville Longbottom." Neville looked shocked that anyone would know his name, so Harry took over.

"What's your name?" he asked, genuinely curious. He thought he could get to like this girl.

"Luna Lovegood," she said in the same dreamy voice, "but most people call me Loony." Harry was outraged.

"How could they?"

"Oh, they don't mean it," she said, "they've been infested by Drihbanawse." Harry was confounded for a second, before he puzzled it out. The letters rearranged to spell _brainwashed_. Luna smiled brightly at him, the biggest smile he had ever seen.

"You worked it out," she sounded shocked and awed at the same time, "you're the one." She beamed again and began to hum happily for the rest of the ride back to Hogwarts- Harry and Neville could only share baffled looks.

Luna Lovegood was one happy Ravenclaw. She had, in the last few minutes, found the one of the prophecy and successfully confused two boys! They were so funny when they were confused. Harry Potter was different, though. She wouldn't be able to have fun confusing him-as he was the one the prophecy spoke of. She wasn't even sure what the prophecy said, exactly, except that the Lovegoods would help the one it spoke of in his quest. Well, she had found him. He had passed the test, looking through the Loony façade and seen the message that she had been trying to convey. Only the one would do that. Perhaps she could consider dropping the façade? Hmmm… maybe. She would see.


	6. New Responsibilities

_**Chapter Six; New Responsibilities**_

**Sorry this Chapter took so long, unfortunately, life caught up with me. (My sister says that it's not unfortunate, but then again, I was busy being a house-elf at her Harry Potter Marathon.)**

~()~

Harry entered the Hall with Neville, and the two of them quickly found a seat at the Gryffindor Table. The sat in comfortable silence, eavesdropping on the other conversations around them. They were all relatively boring, and about what people had done over the holidays. Harry found that most of the Gryffindors seemed to have spent their holidays shopping and playing Quidditch. There was almost no variation. Then again… it's not like he could boast much more than that, though he _had_ flown at the Quidditch World Cup. That had to count for something, didn't it?

It took just over ten minutes for all of the students to file into the hall and find a place at their respective house tables. Unfortunately for Harry, Ron and Hermione had finally spotted him and settled themselves down opposite him. Hermione opened her mouth, and Harry groaned internally.

"Harry, where have you been?" she shrieked quietly- Harry was almost impressed by her abilities, "We've been looking all over-"

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall interrupted her, "Now, I know that you are all eager for the feast to begin, so I will attempt to keep the sorting short. However, we have an interesting development this year. A 5th year student has decided to transfer from her previous school and learn here at Hogwarts instead." She sat down after placing the Sorting Hat on the stool and they all stared at the small slit in the brim. Finally, it began to sing.

"_In times of old when I was new_

_And Hogwarts barely started_

_The founders of our noble school _

_Thought never to be parted;_

_United by a common goal,_

_They had the selfsame yearning,_

_To make the world's best magic school_

_And pass along their learning._

'_Together we will build and teach!'_

_The four good friends decided_

_And never did they dream that they_

_Might someday be divided,_

_For were there such friends anywhere _

_As Slytherin and Gryffindor?_

_Unless it was the second pair_

_Of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw?_

_So how could it have gone so wrong?_

_How could such friendships fail?_

_Why, I was there and so can tell_

_The whole sad, sorry tale._

_Said Slytherin, 'We'll teach those_

_Whose ambition is strongest.'_

_Said Ravenclaw, 'We'll teach those_

_Whose intelligence is surest.'_

_Said Gryffindor, 'We'll teach all those_

_With brave deeds to their name.'_

_Said Hufflepuff, 'I'll teach the lot,_

_And treat them just the same.'_

_These differences caused little strife_

_When they first came to light,_

_For each of the four founders had _

_A house in which they might _

_Take only those they wanted, so, _

_For instance, Slytherin_

_Took only ambitious wizards_

_Of great cunning, just like him,_

_And those of sharpest mind _

_Were taught by Ravenclaw_

_While the bravest and the boldest _

_Went to daring Gryffindor._

_Good Hufflepuff, she took the loyalest,_

_And taught them all she knew,_

_Thus the houses and their founders_

_Retained friendships firm and true._

_So Hogwarts worked in harmony_

_For several happy years,_

_But then discord crept among us_

_Feeding on our faults and fears._

_The houses that, like pillars four,_

_Had once held up our school,_

_Now turned upon each other and,_

_Divided, sought to rule. _

_And for a while it seemed the school_

_Must meet an early end_

_What with duelling and fighting _

_And the clash of friend on friend_

_At last there came a morning_

_When old Slytherin departed_

_And though the fighting then died out_

_He left us quite downhearted._

_And never since the founders four_

_Were whittled down to three_

_Have the houses been united_

_As they once were meant to be._

_And now the Sorting Hat is here _

_And you all know the score:_

_I sort you into houses _

_Because this is what I'm for,_

_But this year I'll go further,_

_Listen closely to my song:_

_Though condemned I am to split you_

_Still I worry that it's wrong,_

_Though I must fulfil my duty_

_And must quarter every year_

_Still I wonder whether Sorting _

_May not bring the end I fear._

_Oh, know the perils, read the signs,_

_The warning history shows,_

_For our Hogwarts is in danger_

_From external, deadly foes_

_And we must unite inside her_

_Or we'll crumble from within_

_I have told you, I have warned you…_

_Let the Sorting now begin."_

And with that, the hat went motionless once more. Applause broke out, but hissing and whispering permeated the hall alongside it. Harry himself was shocked. He turned to Nearly Headless Nick, who was staring avidly at the stool, motionless and muttering to himself. Harry focused on hearing what the ghost was saying.

"Never… not since Dumbledore… true history… the old man must have forgotten… see if anyone picked up on it… hope so… right to know the truth…" Most students wouldn't have been able to pick up what the ghost was mumbling about from those few strands of broken sentences, but Harry heard enough. The headmaster had been interfering with the hat, stopping it from telling the true history of Hogwarts. This year, the headmaster had failed, and the hat had spilt it. Harry supposed that the man had been distracted by the loss of his weapon. So, what was hidden in the song? Harry hummed the words, trying to find the hidden meaning. Finally, he froze. The house traits! Slytherin was never mentioned with blood purity, and Hufflepuff wasn't 'all the rest.' Now that was interesting…

Then, finally, McGonagall stood up again.

"First," she said in her best no-nonsense tone, "Our transfer student. Moore, Rachael." Harry watched as Rachael walked out of the side wing with her head held high and a bounce in her step. She looked like a powerful, confident student that knew exactly what she was doing- but Harry could see through that. He saw the way her eyes moved the way they did before a large match and the way her knees shook ever so slightly as she took a step. Harry smiled at her when she found his eyes, and her full confidence was returned. Harry had to contain his grin. _That _was the Rachael that he knew and loved. Wait- _what?_ There was no time to ponder over that thought as Rachael sat down on the stool and McGonagall lifted the Sorting Hat onto her head. Harry froze for ten whole, painful seconds, not daring to breath. Despite all he had told Rachael, and discussed the Sorting with her, however many times he had reassured her that she would be a Gryffindor, Harry was not the Sorting Hat. He didn't even know Rachael all that well! He had only met her at the beginning of the summer, after all.

Harry was close to suffocating from lack of oxygen by the time the rip in the brim of the old hat opened, and the Sorting Hat began to deliver its decision to the entire hall.

~()~

"_SLYTHERIN!" _

Harry shook his head in shock as the Slytherins got to their feet, cheering for their newest student. Harry could see platinum blonde Malfoy, standing and cheering along with the rest of his house, smirking at Harry. Wait. Smirking? That made no sense! Malfoy hated Rachael…

~()~

Harry's vision swam before him and he returned just in time to announce Rachael as a Gryffindor, and he sighed in relief. Oxygen-deprived hallucinations were the worst!

A huge grin spread over Rachael's face as she skipped down to the Gryffindor table, and planted herself on Harry's other side. (She would never get between him and Neville- for all she knew, they had been tentative friends since first year!) Harry smiled back at her, immensely relieved before the two of them turned to face the first years that were trembling in their fright, about to get sorted.

After the longest sorting Harry could recall, (he had missed the current third years' sorting- they were the largest year group so far) Zeller, Rose was sorted into Hufflepuff and McGonagall cleared the hall of her list, the stool and the somewhat-ragged Sorting Hat.

Dumbledore stood before the hall, holding his arms out in a welcoming manner- or it would have been, if your name was neither Harry Potter nor Rachael Moore… and you were not in Slytherin. Then it just looked ominous.

"To our newcomers," said Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling in a strangely creepy manner as he focused his gaze on Rachael, "Welcome! To our old hands, welcome back! There _is_ a time for speech-making, but I'm afraid that this is not it! Tuck in!" And with an overly dramatic flick of his wrist, food appeared on all of the dishes in front of them. Harry snorted at a first year's awed reaction. All Harry could think was that the house elves at Hogwarts had a brilliant communication system if they could get messages across the school so quickly!

In a way, Harry was upset that the food had finally appeared on the table, and Rachael picked up on this… and asked him why. Harry just sighed heavily.

"Cue the inquisition," he said astringently. Rachael cocked a confused eyebrow, but could say no more as a voice broke through he questions.

"Harry! There you are! We were looking for you the whole train ride! How could you just ignore us like that! You didn't send us one letter over the entire summer, and then you didn't even come and talk to us on the train! Then, you have the audacity to just ignore us even when we are directly opposite you! How could you do that to us, Harry James Potter?" Hermione's jarring voice hadn't improved over the summer, to Harry's irritation.

"Hello, Hermione, nice to see you too," said Harry sarcastically, before turning his attention back to Rachael.

"Oi, Mate! Hermione's right, how can you just ignore us like that?" Now it was Ron's grating tone disturbing his… well… he wouldn't call it peace, not in the Great Hall, but it was still irritating him!

"And Ron, such a lovely greeting from you as well." Rachael snorted, and even Neville looked vaguely amused, though his terror overruled it almost immediately.

"Now, let me ask you a question, Hermione," said Harry coolly when he realised that the girl wasn't going to accept silence, "did you send me a letter? Did you once attempt to initiate a conversation? Or is it always up to me? Next; how do you know that I wasn't looking for you on the train, and we missed each other? That's two of your questions. Finally; how can I have the _audacity_ to ignore you when you are sitting right there? Are you actually being serious? Once again, I ask: did either you or Ron attempt to instigate a dialogue? Think about that." And he turned to face Rachael again, properly furious.

Rachael, however, was not- and she turned to watch the spectacular that was Ron and Hermione's reactions. Ron's ears were redder than a sunburnt tomato, and his face was quickly following- _not _an attractive look on a red-head. Hermione was swelling with what Rachael assumed was righteous fury and her hair seemed bushier than ever. Rachael gulped. Okay, so neither of the two had a particularly large magical core (and she knew, she could see them) but Hermione looked scary…

"A friendship goes both ways, you know," she piped up, before realising what she had said to the two already furious people, and she sank into her seat. Well, the hat had said that she had spontaneous bursts of courage- this must be one of them. The hat had said that it was usually only when necessary, though, and she wasn't sure this counted. It had probably made the situation first.

Okay, it was time for the last-resort plan. She and Harry had devised it for the likely situation that both of his ex-friends (not they knew about their status-change yet) blew up at the same time.

"Oh, look! Chicken and Thai sauce skewers, gee, the Hogwarts House elves must work really hard to get this type of meal ready…" It worked. Ron was distracted by his favourite food, and began to inhale the skewers, and Hermione's righteous fury was directed at the school, rather than Harry. Both he and Rachael shared a mental high-five and hug via telepathy.

Neville looked on in awe as Rachael and Harry skilfully distracted Ron, and diverted Hermione's anger onto others. He was going to have to learn that trick from them. He turned, his eyes questioning to his latest heroes. He was ecstatic when the two of them nodded. This year was going to be _much_ more fun than the last four.

Hermione was furious. Hogwarts had _House Elves?_ And they were so well known that a student that had been in the school for under an _hour _knew about them? Why wasn't this in _Hogwarts; A History?_ More like _A Revised and Highly Biased History of Hogwarts!_ Oooh, if she found this to be true, Dumbledore was going to get an earful next time they met to discuss their resident trouble-maker and headache that went by the name of Harry Potter! Now, what was the best way to find out the truth…

Hermione didn't have to think for long, as she overheard Nearly Headless Nick's description of the fight in the kitchens between Peeves and the House Elves earlier that day. Hermione glared at the piece of fruit tart on her plate before putting down her cutlery, refusing to take another bite.

Her protest went unnoticed, though, as Ron saw her refusal to eat and quickly snatched every last crumb of her plate and ate it. Even though it was fruit tart, his supposedly least favourite dessert.

"Well, now that we are all digesting another magnificent feast, I beg a few moments of your attention for the usual start-of-term notices," Dumbledore was once again standing before them, and Hermione had snapped out of her stupor to gaze back at the old man again.

"First years ought to know that the Forest in the grounds is out-of-bounds for students unless accompanied by a Professor- and a few of our elder students ought to know by now as well." A twinkling gaze was fixed on Harry, who pointedly ignored it.

"Mr Filch, the Caretaker, has asked me to remind you, for what he says is the four hundred and sixty second time-"

"Obsessive?" Rachael asked incredulously.

"-that magic is not permitted in the corridors between classes; nor are a number of other things, the full list can be found on Mr Filch's office door. We also have a few changes in staffing this year. We are pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank. We would also like to welcome our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Umbridge!" Harry immediately tuned Professor Umbridge's _Ministry Approved _speech, and focused on other things instead; like how cute Rachael looking in her Gryffindor Uniform, and when he was going to hold Quidditch trials.

It took far too long, in Harry's opinion, for the speeches to wind up, and then it was time to lead the first years to their home for the next seven years. He opened his mouth to call to them, but Hermione beat him to it.

"First years!" She called commandingly down the table, "this way please!" Then she gave him a dirty look, as though Harry was shirking his responsibilities by not being the first to call for them. Harry looked at Rachael, and the girl rolled her eyed, making Harry smile.

A group of new students walked shyly up the gap between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff table, they all seemed to be trying as hard as possible to not lead the rest of the group. Harry noticed, with no small amount of dread, that some of the first years actually looked scared of him. They tried to pass the message onto the muggleborns that he was a mental, raving lunatic, but thankfully none of them seemed to buy it- especially when he smiled softly at them all.

Harry barely heard Ron say goodbye to Hermione, as he was mentally revising the quickest (and most interesting) way to get to Gryffindor Tower. Finally, he had a route.

"Follow me to Gryffindor Tower," he said kindly, "it will be your home for the next seven years while you are staying at Hogwarts. Rachael, you come too." Rachael just grinned at him, and fell in step with a boy that Harry recognised from the Sorting as Euan Abercrombie- on of the terrified first years.

As they walked, Harry fell once more into 'tour guide' mode, something that Rachael found hysterical for some unknown reason. He pointed out different things like interesting portraits, shortcuts, directions and even which artefacts would help the first years, and the ones that would most likely trick them into doing something else.

Harry was pleased to notice that a combination of his friendliness and Rachael going around whispering to the first years had them a lot less terrified of him by the time they made it to the seventh floor.

"Ah, Lady!" said Harry in a mock-gallant tone, before turning to the first years and whispering loudly;

"If you're nice to her, she might let you get away with things!" Hermione glared at him, and Harry rushed to add, "…like if you've forgotten the password!" Hermione was not impressed.

"So, Lady, I was just instructing these new first years on how to enter the Gryffindor Domain. Shall we do a demonstration?" The Fat Lady just raised an eyebrow at him, and Harry pouted.

"Everyone's conspiring against me!" he groaned theatrically, "you won't even demonstrate what happens when a Gryffindor gives you the password- which is, amazingly, _Mimbulus Mibletonia-"_ Harry turned to the first years, faking shock.

"Well, would you look at that! She co-operated! Incredible! So… yeah. If you give her the password, you will be admitted entrance into the amazing… Gryffindor Common Room! The password changes occasionally, and you can come and ask me… or look it up on the noticeboard which, coincidentally, you will see as soon as you follow me through the portrait hole. Onwards!" He cried, and that managed to elicit a few giggles from the first years, which Harry was immensely proud of.

Hermione just rolled her eyes and huffed in annoyance when she realised that Harry was in fact gaining popularity, not driving them away with his stupidity. Well, when a _civilised, intelligent_ person came forwards, Hermione would show them how much of an idiot Harry was being… though no one seemed to be moving towards her.

"Okay," said Harry cheerfully, "this is the Gryffindor Common Room, the most awesome common room in the school! That's 'cause it's yours. There's the noticeboard, which is where people put up notices! You all knew that already. Oh well. So you can pretty much do anything you like in here… as long as it's not too disruptive, as many people like to study in here, particularly the older students." Harry stopped, and began speaking in a mock-whisper, acting as though he was telling them an important secret.

"They can get really grumpy sometimes- It's really funny!" Then, he reverted back to talking normally, as though nothing had happened.

"Your dormitories are up the stairs- Girls are on the left, boys on the right. Okay! I think that's all- wait! Breakfast starts at 7, I'll meet you all here at 8 to show you the way down to the Great Hall again in case you've forgotten. You don't need to bring anything because you get a break between breakfast and first period so that you can come up here and collect all of your things. Have fun!" Harry then sighed, and turned to Rachael.

"That was exhausting!" Rachael just grinned at him.

"You've got a meeting with your headmaster, now, remember?"

{End of Chapter Six. Please Review!]


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